


The key to my heart

by fluffychanel



Category: Bleach
Genre: M/M
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-05-28
Updated: 2018-10-28
Packaged: 2018-11-06 01:39:41
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 14
Words: 74,219
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11025915
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/fluffychanel/pseuds/fluffychanel
Summary: Aizen's freedom laid in Kyouraku's heart, but the key into his heart was Aizen...The captain-commander had a carefree life, until the former ruler was suddenly pushed into his hands.Pairings: KyourakuXAizen, one-sided: KyourakuXUkitake, UraharaXAizen





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> **Warnings:** M-rated, Kyouraku's pining after Ukitake, and Aizen's obsession with Urahara. So the main pairing isn't instantly blinded by love for each other.
> 
>  
> 
>  **Disclaimer:** I do not own Bleach, its characters, storyline, etc. All rights belong to Tite Kubo.

**Prologue**

The captain-commander got taken out of his thoughts as the hearing commenced. 

Aizen was being brought into the room, still completely bound. The bindings that were placed on the former lord when trapped in Muken were taken off a long time ago — they weren't stable enough to hold down Aizen's power anyways— partially Kyouraku's fault, he had freed three of those ties into the middle of the war against the Quincies. 

But despite Aizen's broken bindings and attempts at rebellion during a couple of fights, the brunet actually stayed loyal on their side. They had been fighting for the same cause in the end; free Soul Society. Although the former lord's allegiance had more to do with his own benefit. Aizen would rather see himself on the throne in the sky than anyone else. Which wasn't a huge secret, of course, so Shunsui had kept by the criminal's side to keep close watch of him and prevent another takeover of the Soul Palace. 

In the end, Yhwach Bach was defeated and Ukitake took the rightful place as a sovereign monarch. For the first time, Soul Society received a Soul King that kept his humanoid form to assure a better bond of loyalty with its inhabitants. The Shinigami world was changing gradually and not only in advantage to the nobility. Even Souls in the Rukongai were allowed to vote about major changes as a form of active participation. —Of course the Souls whom had money enough to participate in the voting system... — Aristocracy still held the upper hand —the rule of law— but the new system promised equality. 

After the war, Aizen was placed on parole into the hands of Urahara Kisuke. The scientist had successfully removed the Hogyoku, lowering a potential dangerous attack from the former lord. Along with the help of a newly created binding spell that kept Aizen's previously sealed reiatsu under a tightly locked chain with the help of Shunsui's pressure. Making it so it became nearly impossible for the criminal to destroy the seals himself again. 

Shunsui had kept the criminal in check after all, and as a reward, he was once again the key to Aizen's freedom. 

The two years of supervision by the blond scientist came abruptly to an end when both Aizen and Urahara requested for a different supervisor. And the hearing was meant to clear out any misunderstandings between the two. 

The members of Central 46 were in no way prepared to obey the request whatsoever, since Aizen would have to stay in Soul Society. Kurosaki Ichigo was the only one in the human world who was strong enough to keep watch over Aizen, besides Urahara, but the boy had expressed no interest in the task. Kyouraku understood that, the youngster finally had the chance to build up his own life. 

And keeping Aizen in Soul Society, not far from the criminal's destined goal, was not a good idea. Not to mention that neither of the captains of the Gotei 13 were looking forward to harboring a dangerous individual. 

"I was promised a decent chance at life and have yet to receive said treatment from my captor." was snapped towards Urahara in particular by Aizen, after the bound brunet gave the members of Central 46 a meaningful glance at the promised chance of life. 

The small hearing was composed of fifteen of the most influential members. And the head of the council sat next to Kyouraku, raising a disinterested eyebrow at Aizen's whining. 

"He's better when muzzled." Urahara reassured with a flutter of his fan. 

"My point exactly," Sousuke picked in directly afterwards. "putting a living being in a cage and treating said being as an animal is hardly a decent life." 

The blond turned around to face Aizen who was strapped down —as precaution— on the chair in the middle of the room. "You're overreacting, again. It was not a cage, and you were supplied with water and food regularly. The same for the option to relieve yourself." 

Aizen glared at the blond as the rest of the members watched the bickering couple. "The disgrace! Total degradation and humiliation, I will not be handled like that. And let us not forget your immoral experimentations once again." 

It was almost amusing to watch them bicker back and forth. Kyouraku had expected a boring meeting, but should have known better when Aizen was involved. Anything with Aizen was far from mundane. That was obvious during the war, keeping watch over the other was rather taxing actually... 

"Experimentations? I was only looking out for your health, your body had been so used to the presence of the Hogyoku. I had to make sure that your vital functions were functioning properly, especially during a lockdown." 

"Who still regards this man seriously after his Hollow experimentations in the past?" 

"My experimentations? You mean your experimentations." the blond corrected sarcastically. 

The back and forth banter could be compared to a tennis match, the human sport that Shunsui had seen on one of his visits to the real world. Everyone's head went from one party to the other. 

"Ah? And who created the orb? You did! Was it even needed to make something that could potentially rob one's sanity?" 

Shunsui could see the slight agitation on the head of the council's expression. 

"You were never really sane to begin with." Urahara muttered quickly, interrupting the other's rant briefly. 

"I hereby request a different...caretaker to take over the task of supervision. I want this wolf in sheep's clothing as far away from my person as possible." 

The blond scientist chuckled at the description. "I fully intend to do so." 

"He is the most despicable, annoying..." the bound brunet couldn't exactly move his hands to point into the direction of Urahara, but it was clear who he was referring to. 

The two were long since refusing to look at each other. 

Urahara just shrugged and nodded amusedly at the other's sudden changed impoliteness and the insults that were thrown the blond's way. "Aizen-san has a 'slight' case of bipolar disorder." he replied in a nonchalant way, in between the insults. 

"Order!" the head of the council suddenly spoke up. 

Aizen however, continued his rant. "childish, disrespectful, insufferable,..." 

When the head of the council repeated that the room was to be silent, the blond motioned behind his fan if he needed to muzzle Aizen. When the council member made a positive sign, the scientist took out a piece of cloth from his haori. 

Urahara took a few paces into the bound man's direction and the brunet almost instantly made motions to wrench the ties from himself, snarling, "Do not come near me, or so help me I will make sure that your end will be painful and-" The rant resolutely stopped and ended in angry muffles when Urahara managed to keep Aizen's head still long enough so he could gag him properly. 

"The death threats are a regular, but nothing that can't be prevented when his speech is cut off." the blond finished. 

The members of the council seemed to be visible more at ease when Aizen quieted down. 

Kyouraku had read Urahara's analysis of Aizen's persona. The bipolar disorder was mentioned in the report: an after-effect of the Hogyoku was thought by the blond. Shunsui didn't know Aizen personally, sure the criminal was known as a very difficult being, that disagreed whenever he could. But all of the perfectionism —mainly his fake polite act— that Aizen upheld stayed on normally. 'An utter charade that cracks under pressure' was written down in the report. 

To Shunsui's personal observation, that control only seemed to waver when Urahara was around or involved. Only then, would Aizen fall out of his role. Like there was an unresolved tension between the two. 

The council members were already discussing the pros and cons of keeping Aizen in Muken again, when Kyouraku addressed Urahara, "And why would you request someone else to supervise him?" 

The blond nodded at Aizen, who seemed to glare even harder in return. "You experienced it yourself, one week with him and you go crazy. I'm not pleading to put him back into Muken. But a pattern of caretakers who take turns after a few months seems more of a solution to me. I'm up for that." the blond said empathically. "Trust me, you need a break after a couple of months with him." 

The members were inclined to listen to Urahara's request, were it not for the obvious fact that there was no one who would voluntarily look after Aizen, except maybe Hinamori-chan. But she was hardly in a right mindset when dealing with Aizen. They needed someone who could not be subjected to the criminal's dangerous mind games. 

One of the council members asked the blond if he had someone in mind, at the other's nod, the members inquired whom. "Kyouraku Shunsui." 

Shunsui suddenly straightened his relaxed posture when all eyes turned to him. "What?" 

Some of the members nodded in affirmation. "Right, you did manage to keep him under control during the war." 

A couple of days can hardly be compared to months of keeping watch... Besides, he was the key to Aizen's freedom, and as long as Aizen didn't know that, it was fine. But if the brunet found out that little bit of info, Shunsui would be in a very disconcerting position. And as captain-commander he definitely should have a say in this. 

However, it seemed like the decision was made already by the council. The noble members didn't feel like wasting too much time on an individual such as Aizen and the deal was made without Shunsui's direct consent. 

"Well, I leave him into your capable hands." Urahara said enthusiastically. 

Shunsui glanced briefly into Aizen's direction, whose eyes seemed to have formed into something resembling a smirk. 

Aizen wasn't directly put into his care though. Administratively everything needed to be in order for the transfer, the former ruler was therefore put into Muken for a day. 

One of the papers did include a confirmation of some sort that declared it Shunsui's own responsibility should Aizen cause any harm. That was also one of the only papers he actually read, the rest were looked over by Nanao-chan. 

"Anything important enough I should know about?" Kyouraku asked his secretary while he was busy rearranging his eye patch. 

"Yes, everything I just read out loud." she chided slightly. 

Shunsui scratched his chin idly to try and remember all she had just said for the past hour. 

She sighed, "I think it will do you good, you will finally have a...project to work on. You need something to keep your mind off of him." Nanao attested carefully. 

Ever since his best friend left, he felt no need to keep interest into anything anymore. He hardly left his house, only for work, which he would still technically do at home or even let Nanao deal with it... 

The times he did attempt to socialize ended in a not so sober state. —actually he didn't need to go out for that either— It wasn't like he lost Juushiro, he could still visit the white haired male, —not as easily as before though— but seeing his best friend so happy with his soon to be betrothed was heartbreaking. 

Kyouraku had realized too late that his interest in women was purely physical, his true feelings laid with Juushiro. 

One of the soft spoken male's tasks as Soul King now was providing an heir to the throne, a rightful descendant so no wars could be fought over the position in the future. Shunsui was surprised when his Ju-chan actually looked forward to that particular case. Sure, the future queen looked beautiful in Shunsui's opinion, but he had always thought that his best friend preferred males. 

He was even more surprised when he had spoken to Juushiro about his supposed love for the woman, and found out that it was genuine. Naturally he had asked if the other's preferences had changed suddenly, to which Ukitake had looked at him oddly and laughed that he had always loved women. And that he was just a little more reserved in his advances towards the opposite sex. 

Shunsui had felt like the whole Spirit Realm had collapsed at that point and he felt foolish for ever presuming otherwise. His best friend that he should know better than anyone else...and yet he never really noticed, or cared to notice at least. 

The captain-commander looked up when the door slid open and Urahara walked in. "I'm entrusting Aizen officially into your care from now on." the blond remarked happily, handing over some more papers. 

Shunsui simply passed them casually to Nanao. "Want anything to drink?" he motioned to the tray that held some cups, after pouring himself some sake. 

The blond shook his head, sitting down next to him. 

"Any tips on keeping Aizen in check?" he asked amusedly. 

The other chuckled. "Except keeping his mouth closed? No, not really." 

"A muzzle?" Shunsui asked in disbelief. 

"No, not a muzzle. Despite Aizen accusing me of doing that, I never treated him like an animal. Well, except maybe the collar he wears, but that's to keep his reiatsu sealed. Best not remove that, it's like unleashing the animal." the blond told him with a flutter of his fan. 

"And the cage?" 

Kisuke looked at him. "Okay, yeah I do have some advice for you: Never, ever under any circumstances believe a word that comes out of his mouth. Once you start believing what he says and start sympathizing with the devil, you're doomed." 

Kyouraku didn't know whether to laugh or frown at the slight accusatory tone the joke held. And decided with a simple, "I see." accompanied with a huge grin. 

It's not like Shunsui had any reason to be worried about that. He didn't particularly care for Aizen. And if the former ruler did cause trouble, he be sure to help in reforming the brunet. Shunsui's enormous patience had worn thin after Ukitake's absence, so any nonsense wouldn’t affect him. 

"So he was allowed to roam free then?" 

The blond shook his head, grabbing a cup of the tray anyways. "No, he was put in the basement actually." 

He watched the other pour the sake in the cup. "Basement?" 

"I know how that sounds, but it's a large basement, where I generated a separate room. And okay it had bars so there is his comparison to a cage I guess... It was a decent room though, probably the size of this." Urahara said after measuring the office with a quick glance. 

"But he was secluded." 

"You don't want to give him the opportunity to get personal with you. He's going to do anything to find out your weakness to exploit that." was warned. 

His weakness was up in the Spirit Realm, which was already Aizen's goal so to speak, not that he would let Aizen take advantage of that. "And you're backing off because you've become too involved?" 

"Hardly, I'm backing off because he's plain annoying. You'll understand better after handling him a couple of weeks." 

Kyouraku shrugged his shoulders. "We'll see indeed." 

-0- 

He hadn't really thought of housing Aizen into a secluded place, he had plenty of room but he was sensible enough not to let the other get to him. Regardless, they would still need to make some arrangements. Such as Aizen being prohibited from wandering through the Seireitei alone. 

The criminal's reiatsu could only be freed by Kyouraku himself, so the problem was not the fact that anybody might still fall for Aizen's false promises and try to help him in escaping, since it was downright impossible. Urahara's invention had made it so any interference with the collar by someone else's pressure would result in Aizen getting the feeling of his reiatsu being incinerated from the inside out. Which was only a psychological effect, —or so Urahara had said— it was perhaps a little bit drastic but in the blond's opinion needed with Aizen. 

Keeping Aizen indoors was actually done for the brunet's own safety. Still too many Shinigami would not hesitate to take their own sort of revenge against the criminal. And that is not the kind of justice that Soul Society should promote... 

The bound brunet was brought to him in the afternoon, where guards released the other's bindings that kept him tied down underground, before they left and the captain-commander stood alone with Aizen in his genkan. 

He motioned the former lord inside with a nod of his head, giving a quick tour: basically he just nonchalantly pointed at different doors. 

At the mention of Aizen's room, the short haired brunet raised an eyebrow, before glimpsing briefly in said room. 

"My own room?" Sousuke asked warily. 

Kyouraku shrugged his shoulders. "Were you expecting anything else?" 

"It has been a while since I had been provided with such luxury." 

"Well, if you misbehave that luxury will be taken away." 

Aizen's mouth curved into a smirk. "I'll be sure to remember that."


	2. Chapter 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I had some time to write up the next chapter so here it is. In the middle of the next week I'll be able to get back in a schedule to update my stories.

**Chapter One**

The Seireitei had learned nothing after all those years, it was simply a nation that was stuck in its endless cycle of destruction and rebuilding itself. 

Putting him into the hands of Kyouraku Shunsui... the fools, why didn't Central 46 place Sousuke directly on the vacant throne up in the sky? Although, admittedly, Ukitake wouldn't be so susceptible to Sousuke's advances. The white haired male, that recently turned king —undeserved— was many things, but gullible when it came to love, he was not. 

Something that Kyouraku was known for on the other hand: the right mood, some sake and delightful company was enough to bring the Captain Commander to his knees, literally. Oh Sousuke knew Shunsui's type, the kind of man that followed the head between their legs to fill in the definition of love. The kind that was easily entertained, but, a type that was unreliable despite being wooed easily. 

Because the next piece of ass that could turn their head could just as easily become their next fixation, like a certain blond... 

His thoughts didn't need to venture further than that, he wasn't keen on ruining his perfect morning. It had been ages since he had a decent night's rest after all. —in a bed nonetheless. The futon was comfortably soft, unlike any hard objects that he was made to inhabit these past few years; although Muken was peaceful, the conditions he was made to endure were anything but ideal. 

At least he had still been assimilated with the Hogyoku then, fast regeneration of his health was needed while incarcerated. His back had been thankful of the orb in his cramped position. 

What luxury he had then, in the underground prison, was stolen not soon after Central 46 made a deal with that...fool. 

Of course Urahara had to accept the deal, —no doubt to pester him— and his Hogyoku —his, not Urahara's— was snatched along with what little bit of luxury he had been provided with. The following months thereafter, as the blond's captive, were... he could describe it as many things, but pleasant won't be one of them. Let's just state it this way: if he could choose to do it all over again, Sousuke would have gladly chosen the chair in Muken. 

Though, Kisuke's company, however annoying at times, was irreplaceable. 

After taking his time in fully awakening, he looked around his room. As traditional as the bedroom was set up, there seemed to be obvious influences of the modern times strewn around Kyouraku's estate. As a member of a noble clan, Kyouraku certainly had money enough to afford such changes. The sleeping area was placed on a raised tatami platform, so no need to fold away his futon when the room seemed to be exclusively made as a bedroom. There were still built-in closets, but a string of led lighting underneath the closet doors gave it that extra modern vibe. And what little decoration there was, seemed fitting and didn't cram up the place at all. 

On first sight the Captain Commander's accommodation betrayed that the man was organizing, neat, and had at least an inkling in style. Completely contrary to popular belief. Not that Sousuke believed every single rumor, but if he compared Kyouraku to Urahara —he really needed to stop doing that— their laid back personality seemed to be the only thing the two still had in common. Urahara was unorganized, a slob, and had no fashion sense whatsoever. 

But enough about that. 

He dressed in the yukata that laid ready for him since his arrival the day before. The black prison garb that he was made to wear while incarcerated was at long last also replaced with nice cotton. —the material not only looked expensive, but also felt nice against his skin. 

Strolling around the estate, on the lookout for his host, he was greeted by a table full of breakfast worthy dishes. 

Alright, now he was beginning to think that Kyouraku's hospitality was the result of a handful of maids. It was unthinkable that the Captain Commander would do all of this personally to welcome a guest —was he even seen as a guest? Since he may not be treated like a prisoner anymore, but he was anything but free. His powers were locked away, Kyouka Suigetsu was treated as much as a captive as Sousuke himself was; locked away and under supervision. 

Though, this was as closest as he could get to roaming around. And Kyouraku had up until now, been very passive in keeping watch. Even now the older male was nowhere near in sight. Leisurely finishing his breakfast, he went further on his search of the Captain Commander and found the other enjoying the warmth outside while Sousuke peered through one of the windows. 

The long haired brunet lazily lounged on the deck, feet dipping in the pond while smoking his pipe. Sousuke approached the other carefully so as not to disturb his peace, but he hadn’t even fully approached Kyouraku, or he heard a drawl of, “Sousuke,” 

It had been in quite some time since Aizen had heard someone using his first name. Not that it was particularly special treatment when it came from Kyouraku, since the man called anyone by their first name, unless of course they were older than him. Simple spontaneity and not even a single ounce of superiority while the other —as Captain Commander— naturally oozed a certain amount of dominance. 

But remaining completely nonchalant was Kyouraku's trademark and if Sousuke had to be honest: certainly a feat. 

"Kyouraku-san," Sousuke greeted back, not entirely sure that Shunsui would appreciate the same treatment. Besides, just as the older man was known for that easy going attitude, Sousuke was known for his high regard in manners. 

"I assure you helped yourself to some breakfast." he was asked indirectly. 

So Aizen decided to gain an involuntary response to his own assumption. "It was more than fulfilling in what I've had in quite some time. I would have cleared the table afterwards, but I do not want to offend the maids by taking away their job." 

He saw the other male's lips quirk up in a self satisfactory smile after he blew out the smoke. Affirming that Shunsui did do it all by himself. 

"I must say I am impressed. And it goes without saying that it takes a lot to overwhelm me." Before he sat down next to the Captain, Sousuke made a gesture as a silent bidding for permission to take a place next to the older man. To which Kyouraku shrugged nonchalantly. 

"Despite what you may think, it is not my goal in life to impress you." 

"Touché." 

Sitting down, he regretted it immediately: he should have taken a place on the left side, since the smoke of the pipe blew into his direction due to the wind. Tobacco smell was one of the causes that could waver his empathetic front and made him prone to show less enthusiasm in charming another. His perceptive host caught Sousuke's grimace though and from then on waved the smoke away each time he exhaled. 

"Well then, to what do I owe your gracious hospitality?" 

"Make no illusions, you're not exclusive to my generosity." 

Sousuke could not withhold the expression of scorn that passed over his features at that particular insinuation. The word illusion was an all too favorable reference to Kyouka Suigetsu, and often used to indirectly insult him nowadays. Well, he guessed he had it coming... 

"It's actually more or less a habit that I adapted to." a shrug of resignation followed. "Ju-chan often spent the night, and he would be up early, taking care of breakfast or otherwise making himself useful." Kyouraku smiled longingly as if he was preserving the memory somehow. 

Which didn't come off entirely as a surprise, Ukitake Jushiro had a great influence on the other. And the two had practically been joined at the hip. They complimented each other in their own way, one as a nurturing mother hen while the other was a flamboyant extrovert. But despite those quirks, they fitted together somehow. 

Sousuke wasn't interested per say in their unique relationship, but he was curious in what trait drew Kyouraku towards the gentle white haired male —gentle in nature that is, 'cause as an actual force Ukitake was not one to be underestimated. His Primera Espada even had quite the trouble with the odd duo. 

Was that dynamic perhaps the resourceful truth behind their bond? 

He glanced out of the corner of his eye at the one who was still leisurely enjoying his smoke. Shunsui was leaned back on one arm, positioned so Sousuke could actually study the other's features easily, especially with the eye patch obscuring one eye. Ever present flowery kimono still covering his uniform, that was obscenely opened to show off his hairy chest. Though the pale scar over his heart that stored the key to his freedom was still glaringly obvious through the short hairs. 

His focus averted in an instant when the Captain Commander specifically looked his way and murmured, "Want a try?" Sousuke's clueless retaliation of raising an eyebrow had Kyouraku offering his pipe to him. "I saw you ogling my wood and thought you might want to blow it with the intriguing stare you gave me." he finished casually with a bold grin towards the wooden piece of his pipe. 

But in the end, Kyouraku was just as tasteless as Urahara... 

Or maybe Sousuke had been indeed a little bit careless in his not so discreet glance. Sometimes it was difficult to remain aware of the fact that his zanpakuto was not around any longer to cover him up. And after being isolated for so long, he may have lost some of his touch. 

While Sousuke could have responded to that with a not so subtle innuendo of his own, the short haired brunet would rather find out what a man like Kyouraku truly desired. Was he on the lookout for a casual flirt, or did he long for something deeper after the war? Because Sousuke himself had only one intent in mind; become as close to him as possible to get a chance to strike and tear out that key to gain his freedom. 

He failed in that option with Kisuke, but unlike the blond, Kyouraku couldn't depend on the pillar that supported him anymore; Ukitake was up in the Royal Realm, far out of reach. A situation that Sousuke was gradually going to take advantage of. 

His only response therefore was a coy smile that suggested he didn't depreciate Kyouraku's suggestion entirely, yet at the same time he deflected from the playful —bordering on flirty— mood. "You must be proud of him." Ukitake didn't have to be personally addressed, the subtle motion to the sky was enough of a hint. 

Silence followed his statement, until Shunsui replied with a quiet, "You have no idea." 

Sousuke wondered how far he could push the other in revealing more about Kyouraku's peculiar relationship with the recently coronated Soul King. "You must miss his presence, I am sure." 

Kyouraku's single eye focused on him, narrowing slightly. 

Apparently, that was the limit to his patience in Sousuke questioning the other. "Forgive my curiosity, but your deep connection with him was hardly a secret." 

"I come here to enjoy the solitude, to relax among complete silence. So the only thing I want to hear is nature's soft sounds." Kyouraku told him knowingly and Sousuke recognized it as a silent command for him to hush up. 

"Right," he responded with a simpering smile, "I'll be quiet now." Aizen took his cue to watch the landscape. 

Kyouraku’s estate was located in the outer skirts, nature enough to go around here and most of the ground was primarily surrounded by water. And where the deep swamp like pond finally ended —or seemed to end— large bamboo trees took over the view. As a noble estate, the Captain Commander’s property was situated in the nicer area of the Seireitei. 

He looked back beside him to see the long haired brunet leaned back on both arms, fully enjoying the peaceful atmosphere with his left eye closed. Birds chirping and a trickle of water from a nearby waterfall completed the ambiance the Captain Commander apparently sought after. 

And that while Sousuke had thought that Kyouraku as a more rowdy character preferred chatter and loud noises as opposed to peace. 

Aizen was normally very observant when it came to scrutinizing another's psyche. But Kyouraku had formed an utter exception to that deep understanding up until now. Quite intriguing actually, Kyouraku Shunsui was becoming an enigma that he would gradually gladly figure out. 

The other suddenly stood up, disrupting his thoughts. "With all that lazing around, one might forget to go to work." informed the older male, towering over him. 

"As Captain Commander, one would think you should be setting the example..." 

It wasn't nearing noon by far but most of the captains would have to be in their division for at least a couple of hours now, while Kyouraku just decided to turn in... 

"As Captain Commander, I have some privileges." the taller man responded with a wink. 

"Taking advantage of your superior position..." Sousuke clucked his tongue disapprovingly and felt a strong hand settle on his shoulder, giving a slight squeeze. 

"Something you wouldn't dare to dream of, mmh Sousuke." the sarcasm, however, didn't have a bite to it, it sounded more or less playful. "Anyways, enjoy the solitude further, act as if you're at home. I'm sure you're glad for the change of scenery and the fresh air." he gave a salutary wave before flash-stepping away. 

Aizen was actually far more interested in the surprisingly pleasing company the other provided. 

-0- 

Kyouraku neared the first division and heard Nanao reprimanding one of the seated members that Shunsui forgot the name of. After standing behind his lieutenant, blatantly eavesdropping on their conversation he pinched his niece's ass. —not with any ulterior motive behind it besides alarming her of his presence, and possibly save the poor guy's ears. It was all for good fun, he knew she wouldn't get offended by it. 

She squealed delightfully and turned around with a stern yelp of his name. "You at least still show your face, the work hours are practically over already." his lieutenant adjusted her glasses firmly on her straight small nose. 

"Now now Nanao-chan, that's not true." a flicker of regret did pass through him, since Nanao did do more work required of a secretary than her actual lieutenant's job. And even if he had two vice-captains employed, the workload hadn't lighted at all due to the war. "I'm here now aren't I?" 

Kyouraku took a place behind his desk, breezing through a couple of papers that awaited his signature. 

Her stern tone made way for a slightly worried pitch. "How are you feeling?" 

Nanao knew the difficulty Kyouraku had to withstand in accepting Ukitake's move. And therefore, took it on her personally to watch over him now. The same way he watched over her like a substitute father figure since his brother's death. 

"How can I feel anything but fine on such a lovely morning?" 

"And...your project?" 

Aizen, like Kisuke had informed him was already slowly proving to live up to the term of, 'unmanageable'. The demanding short haired brunet was guaranteed going to do anything to bend Shunsui's nerves of steel —that had melted somewhat over the years— even more. 

"Nothing I can't handle." he reassured. 

She seemed to peer at him explicitly, searching his eye for some sort of validation on his well being. 

"I'm fine, really." 

She nodded, going back to her own duties. 

Which gave him peace enough to drift into his thoughts once again. Remembering the times passed by and the future endeavors of his friend, without him. 

Ju-chan's bonding ceremony to his beautiful soon-to-be wife was only a couple of weeks away. And of course, as Captain Commander and Jushiro's best friend, he ought to be there. 

But, there is nothing more heart wrenching than seeing your love walk away. 

He could take the easy way out, what with Aizen in his care, but he knew that Ju-chan would resent the fact that he didn't even show up. He simply needed to push his own selfish needs to the side for the sake of his best friend's happiness. 

Ju-chan received the chance to move up and move on after the Quincy war, Shunsui should be happy for him. Because Shunsui himself also received that chance, albeit under different circumstances; the Captain Commander's sudden death in the middle of the war made it so Shunsui had little chance in declining the offer. 

The promotion itself wouldn't have bothered him as much when there was still a chance to see each other every day. But, as the Soul King, Ju-chan's place was up in the Royal Realm, not exactly a location you could walk in and out of whenever you pleased, not even in Kyouraku's position. 

In the end, they both received free company to replace each other... At least Shunsui didn't draw the short end of the stick: he wasn't forced to bond with Aizen, luckily. While his best friend will be completely focused on fulfilling his task of providing an heir to the throne. In that option, Jushiro had actually much to look forward to with the Soul Queen. 

His friend was going to start a whole new beginning in that sense; a family. Something Ukitake had always dreamed of. 

His musings were interrupted by Nanao-chan, whom cleared her throat while tapping her foot impatiently. "You haven't even started signing." 

Shunsui mustered up his most charming smile to help sugar coat his excuse of, "I was just getting started." she didn't leave him peacefully to it immediately. And her worried tone sunk in again. "Are you sure that everything's alright? I feel like you're neglecting your work even more." 

Was he really that obvious? Okay, he spaced out regularly, as if he was off into another world, but slacking off from work was something he always did. "You have nothing to worry about, all is fine." 

"Maybe you should take the rest of the day off. By your mandate, I can take over your duties for today. You even have company awaiting you at home now." 

Yeah...but not exactly the kind of companionship that he was looking for... 

He stood up and turned to steer her back to her office, all the while he declined the offer to take a break. All that free time would make it even worse. "Now now, your compassion is adorable, you should apply it to yourself sometime. There's nothing I can't handle kiddo, I've been around longer than most of the members in this division. I can't be the one to give up, I've got to set the example here after all." 

He did throw himself into his work after that. She always served as a good reminder to take his duties seriously, her coddling reminded him that he should be the supportive one here as the captain, not his lieutenant. The hours flew by as if nothing as a result, and before he knew it, he was one of the last ones still around, along with his niece. 

"Now you're just being an overachiever, don't overdo it." she grabbed the stack of papers —he was currently focusing on— from under his nose, looking ready to slap him with them. His little fukutaicho could be quite scary sometimes... 

"Nanao-chan, I feel like you're never content." Shunsui whined, inevitably worsening Nanao's intolerance for his insubordinate behavior. Which he quickly defused by praising her that she was otherwise irreplaceable in the work force. It seemed to work in lightening the mood, only her expression still needed to brighten up a bit. "Maybe I can help you relax with some sake?" he grabbed his not so secret stash from under his desk. 

"I'm going home, so should you by the way." 

Oh well, he was used to her rejection regarding alcohol, not that he really needed a drinking buddy to enjoy the comfort liquid. Because it aided in numbing his pain and made him forget —if only for a little bit— about the angel up in the sky. He could hold his liquor well, but it never stayed with one bottle, the more he drank, the more he could forget and relax. 

-0- 

The nature that surrounded the Kyouraku estate did not disappoint Sousuke. Not that he presumed otherwise, what with noble houses upholding the aesthetics around the neighborhood to fit into the noble district. Especially since Kyouraku belonged to 'high' main branch nobility. 

Sousuke wasn't allowed to leave the estate, but he was sure that everything around the property: the rivers, bamboo trees,... was still considered kyouraku's. And should anyone approach Sousuke about his trespassing, he was innocently going to state his 'unawareness'. As if he didn't know better. 

He didn't need Kyouka Suigetsu to fool people. 

He was back inside of the estate on time nonetheless, as he wasn't keen on provoking the Captain Commander or test the man's patience in the first few days. The point was to build up his trust with the other male, not destroy it before it even started. And so he decided to make dinner as a token of appreciation of Kyouraku's hospitality. 

Sousuke detested the art of cooking because of all the work he had to put into something so mundane. There were stalls enough with fresh readymade food in the Seireitei, so why bother with the extra labor? 

Of course, now he had the time to do anything he wanted and making dinner himself was a proper way of showing his respect as opposed to simply getting something from a stall. —he had no money anyways, the Seireitei or the Quincy king had long since squandered all of his reserves. — and so he had to rely on Kyouraku and the ingredients the Captain Commander had lying around. 

Although if he had known that Kyouraku would not show up, he would have spared himself all the extra effort. 

At first, he thought that the Captain Commander needed to work late —not exactly uncommon, then again Kyouraku wasn't really known to be hard worker...which made him instantly second guess that assumption and come up with the conclusion that Kyouraku was most likely out drinking: a more than common habit for most Souls. And it ended for a certain type of the male population that wasn't too drunk to perform mostly in the pleasure district. 

Neither as captain, nor as vice-captain did Sousuke partake in those simple pleasures. He never was one to prioritize the satisfaction of his physical needs, but rather concentrated on satisfying his search for intellectual pursuits. The brunet just knew it as a common practice through his then boyfriend's experiences. As he said: Urahara was never loyal and the kind of man that abused his knowledge to satisfy his perverted fantasies. 

Though he wouldn't have minded —to a degree— in being the object to those fantasies. Unfortunately, the blond had sought it elsewhere... 

And Sousuke could certainly picture Kyouraku being a frequent visitor in that part of the Rukongai as well, noble or not. The pleasure district catered to all needs: male/female, young/old and from soft-core to raunchy, anything the client wanted, the client would get. 

A simple man's dreams he supposes. 

Eventually, Sousuke gave up on waiting up for the Captain Commander, it was well past midnight and the other was nowhere near in sight. And it's not until early in the morning that he heard the master of the estate come home, clearly drunk, judging by the stumbling around... 

The quietness throughout the estate returned after half an hour of the drunken fool's wandering around, in search of his futon. Actually, at the rather abrupt silence, Sousuke was sure that the Captain Commander lay passed out, somewhere far off from his futon. He went to investigate, just in case: courtesy of playing the empathetic guest. 

Knocking on the door of the other's room earned him a muffled affirmation that Sousuke couldn't have understood the meaning of unless he was as wasted as his host. Taking his cue to enter, he was greeted by the sight of a kneeling Captain Commander face down on his futon. Apparently, he didn't need Sousuke's help; he found his futon. 

He was about to leave the other to sleep it off when he was stopped from leaving by another drunken mumble. Maybe it were the effects of the alcohol speaking, since he wasn't exactly addressed personally by the drunken captain, but he was curious and approached the drunken fool. 

Although asking for a repeat received him the same mumbled speech, even when he kneeled next to a passed out form. When the other started to floppily struggle out of his flowery over coat while still smooshed into the sheets, Sousuke helped the Captain Commander in undressing. 

He would perhaps fall asleep faster when comfortable enough. 

Taking a place behind Kyouraku, he tried to slide off the flowery kimono, which was still manageable in comparison to making attempts to do the same with his haori. —since that cloth was actually worn properly. 

Why did Kyouraku need so many clothes, he left the frontal part always wide open anyways. 

Kyouraku wasn't participating with his arms, he stubbornly had one underneath his head, —probably to hold the weight of the effects of the alcohol that went up. — his other arm was crushed underneath his weight. 

And a drunken man was dead weight. 

It seemed like Kyouraku found some amusement in Sousuke's attempts to get the Captain Commander's arms free. His deep chuckles were anything but funny to Aizen though. Frustrated about the other's uncooperativeness, he reached around the man's waist to unfold the obi, only to come into contact with something a little lower than Kyouraku's waist. 

It was the fault of the drunken fool's hunched over form though, because he was in no way planning to take advantage of the other like this. 

"Buy me a drink first, lovely." 

That sentence confirmed that Shunsui wasn't clear by mind at all. He was quick to retreat his hands from around Kyouraku's waist. And he left the other to his rest, still completely dressed in his hunched over form.


	3. Chapter 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> It's been a while, but I've been so busy with a part time job since a new semester of uni is about to start again. So I'm only able to type up my written chapters when I have a little bit of free time, then send them off to my beta, but after middle September I'll be able to work on a schedule for my fics again.

**Chapter two**

Kyouraku awoke when a particular pesky ray of sun shone brightly into his face, burning heavily as if to punish him for last night. His windows were normally darkened, but with the effects of the alcohol he might have forgotten to do that in advance to going to bed. 

He had a mild headache, nothing troublesome, it was still easy to forget: practice makes perfect after all the alcohol he had consumed over the ages. Besides, he had been far from wasted, he has had worse, far worse. 

The captain commander got up eventually, after having a nice stretch. -the muscle aches were probably the worst after a night of liquor. He ended up in the most unimaginable positions, or places at that. 

Entering the dining area, Shunsui was pleasantly surprised that the table was decked out nicely, if he himself wasn't busy in the kitchen, than the one responsible for the get up had to be his 'prisoner'. 

He read the little note that laid ready for him in front of a hot mug of tea: _'I can't buy you a drink, but I am sure this counts as well, your lovely.'_

Shunsui had to read the note twice to make sure it was indeed signed with such endearment. 

"It's all still leftovers of from yesterday, I hope you do not mind." 

Shunsui looked up to see the other brunet leaning casually against the doorframe, his own burning hot mug of tea in his hands. "Did we do something..." He saw the other's lips quirk up which was quickly covered up by Sousuke taking a sip, all the while Aizen's gaze was still focused on him. 

"You tell me." 

Shunsui laid the note back down, doing a little recount of last night's happenings in his mind. No, he hadn't been that drunk, Aizen did enter his room, but nothing further happened. 

Aizen's chuckle when Kyouraku looked back up at him was enough of a confirmation that he was just playing around. "I need a smoke." Shunsui stated, not in response to the slight titillating banter, but just as routine; every morning he had to have his smoke before breakfast. 

"I am offended." answered Sousuke in mock disappointment. "I did not mean anything?" 

Shunsui saw Sousuke's expression right before he went outside and the dark eyes were clearly crinkled in fiendish amusement. "Careful with that," advised Kyouraku, "you might get burned." slight teasing or not, arousing Kyouraku with the intent of finding out how far he could push the Captain Commander was going to end up with the other in his bed, intentionally or not. A little flirt didn't hurt, sure, but continuously kindling the flame in his loins, only to back down at the last minute is not the sort of game you had to come on to with Shunsui. 

That should be common knowledge by now. 

He had his share of bedmates, both female and male -though the latter only happened after acceptance of certain feelings towards his best friend. But, never had he taken a partner in act of concealing his love for Jushiro, neither had he done it to forget his Ju-chan. 

Most of his flings had been no more than one-night stands actually, nonetheless he had a lot of respect for his bed partners, because as long as it's consensual there's no harm done... 

He felt sightly better after the inhalation of his pipe, it's like the latest effects of alcohol vanished into thin air, along with the smoke. "Leftovers of yesterday?" he called out to the younger male and had to wait just a little longer until Sousuke rounded the corner on the deck outside. 

At his nod, Shunsui questioned, "Meaning you made it specifically for me?" 

"Well, specifically...it is neither my goal in life to impress you." 

Kyouraku chuckled and retaliated the brunet's own words right back at him. "Touché." 

"You're not going to reject my offer a second time, are you Captain Commander?" 

Shunsui shook his head, "I'm still allowed to finish my pipe?" and blew his smoke in emphasis to his false query for permission. 

The shorter brunet's lips were clearly turned up in amusement, the same for those dark eyes which practically sparked with gleeful intent. Aizen waited on him a second longer and when it became obvious to Sousuke that Shunsui wasn't about to hurry up, specifically for him, the former lord turned on his heel, back inside. 

Kyouraku shook his head amusedly before finishing his pipe leisurely. 

Once back inside, Sousuke had apparently had had enough of waiting for Kyouraku, because his guest's plate was already pushed to the side, so he could focus on the newspaper. 

"Despite not making it for me, I do like it." Shunsui said after a couple of test-bites. 

"I took the courtesy of raiding your fridge." 

"I know, you can expect the bill after your stay." 

Sousuke looked up from reading a particular ad. "Kyouraku-san," The sweet tone was already a pitch gentler than his normally demanding tone and thus clearly pronounced the request that followed afterwards, "are you in need of a loyal and efficient vice-captain? Because I happen to know someone who would fit splendidly in the position." 

Shunsui laughed heartily at the self-promotion. So loyal that when he happened to turn his back, Aizen wouldn't hesitate to stab him... the other in a position of authority was a dangerous move that nobody would fall for a second time. "Maybe you should ask Shinji." Shunsui advised with a wink while Sousuke's smile turned minutely into a frown. "The bill was a joke by the way." he informed Aizen on second thought, even though the other brunet was smart enough to understand that. 

Sousuke was reading the newspaper by then again and dismissively waved his statement away. "I need something hands on, something I can concentrate myself on or everything just bottles up." 

Kyouraku gave the other a look. The intriguing stare was penetrating enough for Sousuke to look back up at him. 

"A stability in life, is that not what most criminals get prescribed by their shrink?" 

Shunsui shrugged. "I happen to still have everything under control upstairs." he pointed in the general direction of his head. "So I can't help you with that." 

The brunet smirked suddenly and a disagreeable noise left the short haired brunet. -definitely in response to Shunsui's earlier statement when Sousuke questioned, "Are you sure about that?" 

Kyouraku was left partially speechless at the blunt insinuation because it certainly lacked Sousuke's previous friendly manner. As if he was deliberately trying to make Kyouraku question himself. 

When he didn't respond, but steadfastly returned Sousuke's intimidating glance, Aizen changed the topic, almost fluently, "I meant a job." as if he hadn't just involuntarily challenged Kyouraku verbally. "You're no longer welcome in a military position when you're known as a deserter." 

"That the life of a Shinigami is no longer an option is a given, but there are still other duties I can attend to." 

Shunsui feigned the act of considering it. "Nope, there's no position available at the moment." which was of course a lie: Aizen could take over his niece's secretary duties so she could concentrate fully on her task as vice-captain. It would technically be ideal since Aizen as a previous captain/vice-captain was skilled enough in that regard. 

But, hiring Aizen into the first division would be the same as raising a flag with a big fat middle finger and position it facing Central 46, hilarious enough, but Shunsui risked losing the favor of the general population of the Seireitei that way. Which could be dangerous for his own position as Captain Commander -what with the new voting system set in place. 

Kyouraku quickly took another bite when Sousuke seemed to search his face for credibility and the Captain Commander in that instant took his chance to grab the newspaper from the other. "I'm sure there are plenty of other open options, outside of the Seireitei." Kyouraku licked the tip of his finger to flip the pages in order to skim a few ads. 

"The Rukongai..." Sousuke stated in clear distaste. 

"I can sooth your concerns regarding that, you're not allowed to go anywhere on your lonesome and I can't possibly slacken my duties for the sake of yours." 

"Of course...considering you are such a fine example as Captain Commander." 

"Precisely!" Kyouraku exclaimed with a smile. 

"I did already tread the grounds around your estate, is that suddenly an offense?" 

"I'll rephrase myself; you're allowed to go outside, but as long as you're by yourself, it's not exactly safe." 

"And considering that I'm such a helpless maiden..." the delinquent brunet put his elbows on the table with his chin perched on top of his hands to flutter his eyelashes expressively. 

Whether Aizen wanted to take his word for it or not, Shunsui persisted, "It is great advice, believe me." he saw the brunet rolling his eyes, but there's nothing more that he could do to warn the other. Aizen was a grown man, Shunsui wasn't about to dedicate his life to babysitting the other 24/7. 

"So the grounds around your estate are forbidden as well? I will risk encountering the patriarch of your clan if I should set a foot outside?" 

Shunsui browsed further through the ads. "I'm talking about the grounds outside of my estate." 

As indirect as it was, the other brunet's question was a definite attempt of trying to pry and probe around for info on Kyouraku's clan. And it's not sensitive information in that sense that by Aizen knowing, Kyouraku would reside in a very disconcerting position. But, if Aizen wanted to know, the short haired brunet had better ask him directly about it. 

Therefore, acting aloof and not giving out the answer the younger man was looking for, brought Sousuke around fairly fast to ask Shunsui in an unambiguous way, "Is there still anyone alive in your clan, besides you?" proving that it was Aizen's intention indeed. 

But the straightforwardness did have Kyouraku questioning the specific need for the other to know exactly that, though he showed no suspicion, allowing the newspaper to keep his attention. 

"There is no particular reason, other than your estate being quite abandoned." 

"As you should know, I like the peace and quiet." he finally looked up again. "and to satiate your pressing curiosity; no, I'm the only living member of the Kyouraku-clan." 

"Then you must be in desperate need of an heir." 

"I don't see why I should be in need." he replied casually. 

The need for an heir was mostly a demand that came from a clan leader or clan elders, whom definitely strove for the most prestigious title, and that was obtained by having a big family and strong descendants. Kyouraku was essentially the clan-head and heir of the Kyouraku-clan, so he didn't need to worry about all of that. 

"Your clan is threatened to go extinct." the short haired brunet stated with a peculiar smile. 

"Oh really? I have no intention of going anywhere." 

Sousuke chuckled sweetly. "Mmhmm..." 

Whatever daunting dubiety loomed behind those words were smartly ignored and so was the underlining message behind it as Shunsui shoved it aside with a clear avoidance of his guest's sinister mannerisms. "I have the perfect job for you; start a massage parlour, you don't need to leave the estate for that, a booming business." 

"I doubt it, I would only attract perverted old men who seek a happy end." 

"It's your call if I recall; you wanted something 'hands on'." 

"And to gain popularity I should only add in 'perfect sword mastery' in between the lines of the slogan on the ad?" 

Kyouraku laughed, "Now that, would probably only attract a certain type of clientele." 

"You are basically laughing at my expense, you are a cruel one, Kyouraku-san." Aizen snatched the newspaper back. 

"Or you could just be my private masseuse." Kyouraku took his time to watch the other. There was no denying that it gave the Captain Commander a thrill to tease Sousuke and a pressing curiosity to see how far exactly Aizen was willing to take those games. 

His companion raised a perfect brow. "Oh so now you are promoting yourself from my pimp to my personal client?" 

"And I go for nothing short of a full body massage." 

"In that case, the price will be double for you." 

Shunsui grabbed a hold of his heart to show off a look of pain. "I'm that bad, huh?" 

"It's because you are a noble," Sousuke winked, "and I happen to have a personal grudge against the nobility ever since I received 20 000 years in prison." he mumbled in a hushed manner as if he was afraid that the walls would have ears. 

Until so far the teasing banter...the other just had to throw in a verbal stab. "Perhaps you might only have yourself to blame for that." Shunsui surmised. "You did murder all of the members of central 46 at one point." 

Sousuke smirked, "I think it is best if we change the topic." 

Kyouraku stood up to clear the table and wash the dishes, since they were definitely threading a sensitive area with that. All of Aizen's deeds were public knowledge by now, but just because it was somewhat 'forgiven', it was certainly not forgotten... 

Aizen followed to help in the clean up and seeing the other help around, had Shunsui suddenly coming up with a job the younger man could do. "There's a happening, or rather a celebration planned in order to celebrate the Soul King's soon to be bonding. And you could serve some drinks, I have seen that happening in the real world." 

"A waiter..." 

"It's a beginning." 

"I'm actually allowed near the Soul King?" 

His Ju-chan wouldn't be present, it was a celebration for all of the captains, vice-captains and other important people. If Jushiro would have even showed up a second, naturally Aizen was better kept at a distance. Although, with Sousuke's pressure and zanpakuto locked, the delinquent brunet likely wouldn't cause a commotion in the midst of a room full of members of the Gotei 13. 

It would at the same time also be good practice to find out if Aizen was willing to obey orders, or behave at all... 

Sure Aizen could joke around with him, but there were some members in the Gotei 13 where the former lord didn't even have to try those mind games. 

-0- 

Social gatherings... as much as Kyouraku enjoyed his peace, he also liked to be surrounded by people; chatter about nonsense or work related stuff, all of that was good enough to empty his mind for a second. And then he wasn't even talking about the alcohol yet. 

All in all it was everything he needed whenever he couldn't get that someone out of his head. Well, normally at least... because this was initially a party for his Ju-chan. And everybody just had to comment about Jushiro's new beginning to Kyouraku, as if he hadn't heard the same thing for over a hundred times. 

It was sweet in a way that everybody was sharing in his friend's happiness, but, that was the last sort of reminder he was in need of. Since it felt as if they were rubbing more salt into his wounds. And while Shunsui didn't want to offend anyone, it was hard to remain his happy go lucky self when his nonchalance easily washed away his pleasant features -his eye patch obscuring one eye- the indifference lay on too tick to hide anymore. 

And the remedy to that was his newfound best friend; liquor. 

He excused himself from the younger generation -Ikkaku, Yumichika, Rukia and Renji- to go in search of a certain brunet that was wandering around serving drinks. "Who would have thought: you're maybe going to develop a knack for staying in between the lines instead of trying to avoid society's laws." he mumbled behind Sousuke's back while grabbing a cup of sake from the platter. 

Sousuke turned around at that, replied with a bitchy, "I should have spiked that." before moving on to do his job. 

Kyouraku was about to take a sip of the delicious cold drink when it was unceremoniously snatched out of his hands. 

"You still need to do a speech." 

"Nanao-chan...I was just going to take one sip." Though he held on to it like a life line while she did the same. 

His niece was literally staring him down from behind her glasses. "It's not even noon yet." 

It could be worse: Kenpachi and Ikkaku both didn't seem so steady on their feet anymore, so one drink wouldn't hurt Shunsui, he was a pro in that aspect. 

But she knew just as much that it wouldn't stay with that one drink. 

"It is in ten minutes." his hopeful inquiry was met with the same resolute stare, so Shunsui let go of the cup to do her a favor. 

Getting a drink in a bar was far more different than in a social gathering with the most important members of Central 46 present, if it had been a party among captains and vice-captains of the Gotei 13 alone, liquor should have been a regularity rather than an exception. 

Besides, he shouldn't lose face, this was to celebrate his best friend's joining, there were worse things he survived without a single drop of alcohol. 

The Captain Commander instead resolved to ignore any jibber jabber about Ju-chan's new life. Shunsui just nodded along, all smiles -forced- in order to remain polite, before moving on to greet his next guest. -as was becoming of a Captain Commander. 

Mayuri Kurotsuchi even became pleasing company...as pleasing as Mayuri could be of course. -it was basically a better alternative than actually socializing at the moment. 

"My clinic is a vast success which is why I have to resign from my duty as captain, combining the two is a little bit hectic, mistakes are bound to happen...mixing up nitric acid and a common peeling for a face lift was one mistake too many, the results were...not pretty. And that ruins the reputation of my clinic." 

Kyouraku looked at the captain of the 12th division. "What?" 

"I resign from my post as captain-" 

"No, not that. What did you do?!" 

"It was nothing major, I fixed it instantly with a financial compensation, so she can come back to do a facial reconstruction at a reduced price." the scientist finished gleefully. 

At that, Kyouraku decided he really didn't need to know more anymore, Mayuri was always eccentric, but now that he opened up a cosmetic surgery clinic, the eccentricism went above and beyond. 

"Whatever, do you have someone in mind as your replacement?" 

"I sure do, there's no one else that can lead the 12th division like he can, except me of course." 

Kyouraku had to wait until the other's big reveal, and yes it included a drum roll. 

"Urahara Kisuke." 

No doubt Urahara was better in leading the science and development department, plus Soul Society would be a lot safer without Mayuri's odd experiments. Shinigami were less likely to end up as Mayuri's patient than his test subject, normally. 

"Any objections, Captain Commander? He has been cleared of any blames after the traitor confessed." 

"I don't mind at all, Mayuri. I am assured that the 12th division is in good hands with Kisuke." 

The other did sneer at his comment, despite being the one to promote Urahara's great skills. 

"Well then, you at least have something to keep yourself busy with again." 

As if Shunsui wasn't busy enough already... 

Convincing Central 46 should no longer be a problem anyways, since as Mayuri said; Urahara Kisuke was absolved of his crimes. 

When self promotion was the surgeon's next move -by letting Nemu hand out flyers- Shunsui had to stop the other's bold disrespect. -it was Jushiro's party after all. 

So Mayuri found nothing better to do than trying to sell any procedures to Kyouraku himself in order to pester him. 

"What do you think? She already had a nice pair, but a lift and extra fat doesn't hurt in this area, might be a good present for your niece." 

Despite enjoying the view of Mayuri pulling Nemu's dress tighter to show off the boob job properly, he couldn't help but think that the enlargement must kill the girl's back. And certainly not something he would ever allow his niece to undertake. -though as far as he had any supremacy over her; which was basically none. 

"No, thank you. She's perfect the way she is." 

"I also happen to excel in penis enlargements." 

If Kyouraku had been drinking, he would have probably choked at that moment. "I'm definitely not in need of that. My partners still need to be able to enjoy it, huh, get it?" Kyouraku smirked in a smug way while patting Mayuri's back, whom seemed about ready to give up on his self-promotion. 

That is until Aizen passed by with the platter of drinks. 

"Brain surgeries are also quite common these days, I can definitely encourage one for those that are in dire need of common sense." 

Of course it was a jab at Aizen, and the brunet knew that. 

"Self knowledge is the beginning of wisdom, captain Kurotsuchi." Sousuke therefore answered smartly. 

When Mayuri was about to reach for his zanpakuto, Shunsui warned, "Stay decent and civilized or you'll be escorted back out." 

He lost his companion after that, what with the clinic being so busy... 

"That warning actually also applies to you." 

Sousuke's evil chuckle quickly diminished after Shunsui turned explicitly to face him. The Captain Commander took the opportunity to grab another cup of sake -since this was his chance: Nanao was too preoccupied at the moment, or so he thought... 

Aizen was actually the one to take the cup back from him. "Sorry, your vice-captain's orders." 

That damn Nanao... 

"A captain stands above a vice-captain and as your employer I stand above you in terms of orders." 

The short haired brunet took a moment to check him out from head to toe. "I love being beneath someone..." before looking him in the eye again. "and not only in terms of orders. But," when Sousuke's hand skimmed over the left side of Shunsui's chest, straight over his heart, Shunsui's blood pumping organ skipped a beat. "your health is of utmost importance, Captain Commander." 

Kyouraku grabbed a drink off of the platter anyway, both of Aizen's hands were busy currently. -one holding the platter and the other one had just been journeying across Shunsui's heart, right where the key lay. 

And that's what made Kyouraku cave in and down the cup in one gulp. Because it was so warm all of a sudden; definitely the cause of the double entendre. 

He couldn't help but think; was Aizen aware of the key's functionality? 

Someone clearing their throat made Shunsui forget about those thoughts. 

Byakuya and two members of Central 46 were watching their interaction with displeased expressions. 

"Captain Commander." Byakuya nodded politely, not that the younger noble necessarily had to call him by his title, but even without the presence of the older nobles, Kuchiki was set on regulations. 

The other two were a little too focused on Aizen, so much so that etiquette seemed to slip in favor of calling out, -in earshot of Aizen- "What is he doing here?!" 

Kyouraku couldn't help himself, he just had to be as straightforward in return to state the obvious, "He's serving drinks." 

Watching those noble features contort in disapproval was worth it though, even if Shunsui was rewarded by a counterstrike of the oldest noble when he accused Kyouraku of, "You've been drinking again." 

As if he could get wasted of one drink... they obviously didn't know him. 

Aizen naturally had to add more fuel by innocently questioning the nobles if they cared for a drink. It was then that Kyouraku steered the younger brunet out of the frontline by jabbing a finger in Sousuke's side. The sudden jerk of Aizen and the platter almost ending up spilling all over the members of Central 46, was more than enough to get Kyouraku back in a better mood. 

-0- 

Sousuke gazed through the crowd, only in search of one man, it's the only reason why he accepted Kyouraku's silly job. Urahara should be present, he may no longer be a captain, but the blond was important enough to at least show his face. 

The job was beginning to bother him since he could practically feel angry stares on his back. Of course it also spiked a feeling of triumph as well, since it evoked a thrill that he could still cause such a reaction after all these years... 

But, at the same time, he felt somewhat reckless, and not in a fearless type of way, because as Kyouraku had told him; the reiatsu simmering through the room was practically challenging Sousuke. And there was no way that he could answer that challenge as long as his pressure was locked. 

It made him cautious to be wary indeed. Truth to be told, it even made him jumpy. 

Because the moment he turned around, and was met by another blond, Shinji's sudden close proximity had the platter almost slipping out of his hands a second time due to be being startled. 

He had to take a deep breath in order to conceal a shocked gasp. "Do not creep up on someone like that." 

"Said by a good one." stated Shinji reprovingly. 

"Yes, well..." he gave his former captain a not so subtle once over, and noted the captain's haori. "Congratulations! You're a captain once again. You don't happen to be in need of another vice-captain?" 

Apparently that comment wasn't appreciated since the blond suddenly invaded his personal space with the help of a simple flash-step. "You have some nerve." 

The other so close and personal certainly didn't diminish the negative attention Aizen already received. 

"Your previous vice-captain is fulfilling that position and you left her a total wreck. I had to stabilize her broken mind because of the way you le-" 

Sousuke pushed slightly against Shinji's smaller frame -though smaller stature or not, the blond was still capable of showing off superior strength- 

"As much as I adore your sudden advances to make a connection to me, it is a little too close." 

That had Shinji surprisingly easily backing off. "I want nothing to do with you and certainly not in that sense. But, I will be watching you, I have been keeping an eye on you from the moment you were but a fetus inside of your mother's womb and I will continue to do so until your soul exists no longer." 

"Alright, that's borderline obsession." not to mention slightly creepy, but then again, even as a captain, Hirako-taicho had been watching him from a distance -always from a distance. In fact if he hadn't been confronted by Shinji in the showdown of fake Karakura town, this might have been a record conversation he had with his captain... 

Wishing no longer to be a part of the other's attention, Sousuke caught sight of the blond he had been waiting for. 

He excused himself from Shinji, despite the 5th division's captain's reluctance to let him pass. 

Sousuke could swear that when he was out of Shinji's sight that he could still feel the other's eyes on him... 

He was about to make his way to Kisuke when the crowd's attention suddenly turned to the Captain Commander, whom was about to say a few words. And everybody just involuntarily had to block his path to get to Urahara... 

As he found some room to get a good view of the blond, he saw that Kisuke was accompanied by the Shihoin heiress, she was even dolled up nicely for the occasion. Which bothered him more than it should have. 

Yes, they were just standing casually next to each other, barely touching, but, if one happened to watch closely, you could catch sight of the smallest of affectionate touches that passed between them. 

And despite Sousuke and Kisuke's relationship being long since over for decades, it hurt. 

When he was no longer able to hide his longing for Urahara -or bear watching them- he slipped passed the crowd into the courtyard of the 1st division's barracks. Everybody was preoccupied anyway. 

On those moments he felt no regret whatsoever for blaming Urahara in the past, because the blond deserved no better. Kisuke's betrayal time and time again had broken his heart, so it was only right that Urahara experienced some of the hurt he felt. 

Too bad he didn't get rid of the wench in the process... 

No matter how he had tried to accommodate to any of Kisuke's wishes and be the one that the shopkeeper lived for, she was always there. They stuck together like glue and it annoyed him still to this day. 

They were and still are each other's everything while it had made Aizen feel so...left out, so inferior...while there is nothing that she can offer him that Sousuke couldn't give to Urahara twice as good! 

He faintly heard clapping in the background, signaling the end of Kyouraku's speech, but he didn't want to go back yet, he didn't want to be faced by what he had lost. 

His troubled thoughts were cut short by a warm voice and a cup of sake suddenly being thrust into his hands. 

"Here, I think you're in dire need of a drink, trust me, I'm an expert." 

The brief wink of Kyouraku had Sousuke chuckling lightly. 

Well...if all else failed, he still had his freedom to look forward to.


	4. Chapter 3

**Chapter 3**

Shunsui was quite content: for a change, he arrived as first member at his division, which was a rare occurrence for the Captain Commander lately. Secondly, he finished all of his overdue paperwork, if that wasn't a feat... 

He was finally up to date until his Nanao-chan would arrive in an hour, arms fully loaded with a new stack to sign and go through for the next day. 

But that would mean he still had at least 50 minutes to enjoy the lack of a nagging niece, and that was a very long time to just sit around and do nothing. He therefore grabbed towards his comfort: nothing beat shooing away the demons that reminded him of a certain absence, than drowning them in bitter, but tasty liquid. 

-0- 

"Kyouraku!" 

It wasn't the screech in his eardrums that awoke him from his slumped over position on his desk, but the thump of the blunt side of a thick book right next to his face. 

"I can't believe it!" 

"I finished my paperwork." mumbled Shunsui groggily, pushing the stack of papers in the general direction he heard the voice of his niece come from, which had her quite literally growl when the stack ended up on the floor instead. "I'll pick it up." he replied casually while stumbling out of his chair to do exactly that. 

His attempts to place them neatly on the desk weren't appreciated though as everything ended up in disarray. 

She grabbed unto the paper Shunsui was attempting to put in the right order again. "This was due last week!" 

"Aha! I knew I had forgotten something." 

He heard an aggravated sigh before Nanao advised, "Go home, or better yet stay here in the barracks to sleep-" 

"No, no! I was not able to fall asleep in the first place, I've been here since four and I'm not leaving until everything's done." his words, despite heavy with a slur, were still perfectly understandable, -in his opinion at least. 

"You won't be able to get anything done in this state, sleep it off." 

Even through the intoxicated haze her disappointment weighted him down and he got up to go in the direction of his estate. 

She still held him back though. "Stay here in the barracks, I'm concerned about your inebriated state of mind while in the presence of someone like Aizen." 

He waved her off halfheartedly, as gentle as he could be while not really in control of his strength. Since, he could handle Aizen, drunk or not. 

-0- 

Sousuke sat alone at the table for breakfast. 

Kyouraku wasn't present in his room, neither was he to be found anywhere else on the estate, so that lead the brunet to conclude that the other had snuck out into the middle of the night on the lookout for a bar. 

Yesterday, his job of serving around drinks wasn't as bad as he initially thought, although he had hoped for a personal confrontation with Kisuke after being his prisoner, but perhaps it was better left as it was, at least while the Shihoin heiress was in the neighbourhood. 

And after he had isolated himself, Kyouraku had joined his lonely company, no words had passed between them, except the Captain Commander's offer to take the drink, but, somehow it felt like some sort of comfort. They had stayed seated like that -in silence- for at least half an hour before they both had joined the crowd again. 

But, despite his limited freedom, he still felt quite...alone. 

He heard the front shoji doors slide open and Sousuke rounded the corner to greet Kyouraku. Only, the older male smelled of liquor. And instead of a pleasant and warm disposition, the other's mood was rather somber in comparison to how he last encountered a drunk Captain Commander. 

Sousuke was even literally shoved aside as Kyouraku passed him to get to his room. If that wasn't bad enough he hadn't received a word of acknowledgement...and that would not do, he was not going to waste another opportunity regarding his freedom. He would not be ignored again! 

And the best way to start receiving attention from Kyouraku was probably by accommodating to Kyouraku's need of being served. And in so Sousuke would be able to be successful in filling up the emptiness that was left by the Captain Commander's nurturing mother hen. 

-0- 

Shunsui woke a second time that day when his nap was stirred by another voice; this time a smooth male voice, "Good afternoon, Kyouraku-san," 

He opened his eyes immediately and was met by a soft smile that belonged to Aizen. Sitting up in an instant had him regretfully remembering the lingering haze that was caused by drinking again. Aizen got up as well to open the blinds of the window, brightening up the room in an instant. 

Which didn't really aid in shooing away the hangover...on the contrary... 

"Why don't you take a long hot shower, and when you come out, freshly washed I'll be sure to have prepared you something to eat." finished the other with an inviting glint in his eyes. 

As soon as the door closed, Shunsui allowed a judgmental expression show his thoughts on his guest's weird behaviour. Sousuke was naturally over-friendly, but this...was a little too much. 

What exactly was he expecting from him? 

Nonetheless, the Captain Commander still followed the younger male's advice of taking a shower in a way to clear his mind off the fog. Afterwards, when he was grabbing a bite to eat, he felt someone taking a place behind him, while hands settled unto his shoulders. When those hands began to knead and a whisper of, "Let me take care of you," passed over the shell of his ear, Shunsui stood up immediately and took a wary step back from a far too innocent looking Aizen. 

"I was only trying to give you a massage." 

The other's hands had gripped his shoulders a little too intimately and the way Aizen had almost been plastered to his back promised more than casual relaxation. 

"What were you expecting from me?" he blurted out in a blunt way, maybe partially the fault of the liquor, because Shunsui would have otherwise reacted less straightforward in order to find out what the other's motives were. Because Sousuke was sly like that and therefore needed a different approach to unravel the secrets he hid. 

"Maybe a massage that promises a happy end?" 

Shunsui narrowed his eyes at the other's suggestion before, "I need a-" 

"Smoke...yes." 

Apparently, he was becoming predictable around Sousuke already. 

The tobacco calmed his sudden raging nerves. The thought of the massage ending in more than just rubbing touches wasn't what made him anxious. -because he was all about fleeting love- But it's Sousuke's hidden agenda behind his offer that worried him. Because as far as he knew the other brunet personally, a casual fling was never something Aizen would get himself involved with. Or at least it wasn't known. 

He inhaled deeper in order to settle his nerves somewhat with the help of a true nicotine buzz. 

"Why is it, when I try to offer my good intentions, that everybody is suddenly looking for a reason behind it?" 

Shunsui blew out his smoke, focusing on the twirling fog that blew away in the air, instead of looking back at the other male. 

"I thought you were different from Kisuke, you gave me the sense that you trusted me, something he never did." 

He drew occasionally on his pipe, gentler this time, to actually enjoy the smoke. And get a chance to wake up. 

"We were both flirting with each other, but, now you are suddenly changing your attitude to keep me at bay?" 

Shunsui let the smoke linger longer in his mouth before blowing it out evenly. 

"You're not even going to answer me?" 

When his pipe went out, he cleared away the ashes and was just in time to stop Sousuke from walking back inside of the estate without receiving an answer. "You came on a little too strong there, I just woke up and you were practically crawling all over me." 

The other raised an eyebrow in an offended manner, "Excuse me?! All over you? Oh, I am sorry, I won't do it again. It's not like you've been flirting with me the entire time and making far worse advances at me..." 

It was actually amusing to watch Sousuke suddenly get all worked up over practically nothing. It's as if Sousuke was hiking up the curtain to reveal a little of what lay behind that fake friendly mask. 

"...You're free to make innuendos, but when I do it, I am suddenly asking for too much?" 

"There's a difference between making a suggestive remark and actually requesting for a massage with a happy end." He couldn't contain his amusement any longer and actually chuckled at the younger male's furious look. 

"Are you laughing at me?! I recall you bluntly asking me to blow you." the other recounted back and with an expression of triumph as if he just won the argument. 

"I was referring to my pipe." 

"You're far worse than Urahara!" 

Shunsui tried to hide his lopsided smile at the sudden outburst. "Just a second ago you told me that I was better than him, and now I'm already worse? My, the bipolarity is acting up right now, isn't it?" 

It was all just fine and dandy until then. 

Sousuke's expression turned practically murderous, and considering it was Aizen...those features might not be lying right now. "I never said that! You're-" 

"Me?" 

The younger male let out a frustrated noise, before turning on his heel to go back inside. 

Shunsui let the other brunet calm down first from his fuming state -perfect time to have another smoke in the mean time- before he followed him. He couldn't help it, but he was intrigued by what he had just seen: Aizen so out of control, without any polite act covering up his true thoughts was strangely...invigorating. The other in such an uninhibited state was something that not just anyone was able to evoke from Aizen. 

To be able to get a rise out of him... 

"Where were you planning on giving me that massage?" The Captain Commander asked a sudden deathly silent Sousuke. And a murderous glare was all he received as a reply. "Not here in the living room, I hope, there's no space here." his roguish smile was still in full force and definitely fuelling Sousuke's sour mood. "On my futon would work out better." he suggested with nothing but honest mischief, as he wasn't trying to provoke Sousuke with the intent to get a rise out of him anymore, but to comply to Aizen's previous request, because yes, actually his back wouldn't mind being taken care off. 

"You know where you can get that massage?" Sousuke griped back. 

"No," Shunsui said in exaggerated enthusiasm. "tell me." 

"In the Rukongai, because you're not getting anything from me anymore." 

"Ah too bad, my shoulders were looking forward to a pair of strong kneading hands to-" 

"I'm sure when you pay a good amount of money, the man or woman, whichever you prefer, in the Inuzuri district is willing to comply to your wishes." 

"I don't visit whores, never have, and never will. There's just something unfulfilling about having to pay for an activity that's as natural as it can get." 

"Oh, so you are expecting more out of the massage after all?" Sousuke narrowed his eyes even more. "Then what was all the fuss about?" 

Shunsui laughed, "Okay, you caught me there, but no, I wasn't expecting more. It's just that Inuzuri is famous for being the pleasure district, I just automatically put two and two together." 

The cynical look Aizen was giving him didn't waver one bit. 

"What do you think? Are you willing to try it a second time? I'm fully awake now." 

The other brunet gave him a side glance before his eyes focused ahead, away from looking into Kyouraku's direction, "I do not know, perhaps I might be tempted to crawl all over you again." 

"Ah well, I'll just have to endure it for the sake of my shoulders." 

As soon as Sousuke glanced at him again, Shunsui guided the brunet over with a nod in the direction of his bedroom and caught the smile that threatened to take over Sousuke's sulking pout. 

When he began to take off his outer kimono, Sousuke stated exaggeratedly, "Oh no, don't do that, Captain Commander, I will not be able to control myself. Put your clothes back on!" 

Shunsui shook his head amusedly, he lost count of how many times he actually did that in the presence of the other. -and took off the outer layer anyways.- The thinner yukata underneath -that served as extra layer to his underwear- worked better in this case. The kimono's cotton was too thick to appreciate a good massage. "I'll take the chance." Shunsui assured him and assumed the position of laying -face- down on his futon. 

The brunet knelt down next to him and reached out, hands settled a second time over his shoulders, and although Shunsui tensed up at first, his muscles melted easily under those experienced hands. They moved firmly over his shoulders, slowly and with even strokes, to move on to press finger tips in between the cleft of Shunsui's shoulder blades. 

Even better was the elbow that suddenly rolled in his back, -avoiding any bone naturally- putting slight pressure into tissue that felt a little sensitive, but remarkably better when the knot was gently smoothed over a second time. 

Shunsui was afraid to break the silence and in so ruin the mood, but he still wanted to indirectly find out whom had received such attention from the notorious traitor before, "I'm sure that you've done this before." 

"Mmhmm." 

"And who was the lucky recipient?" he halted his speech momentarily when the other brunet yanked on the back of Shunsui's yukata in order to get to his naked skin. Warm hands came indirectly in contact with his shoulders to caress him. 

"Who indeed." 

He sighed contentedly when Sousuke's palms moved lower -underneath the pulled back yukata- on either side of his spine, before they were pushed back up along the back of his neck. His ponytail was brushed to the side so the hands had better access to journey back up and down again. 

The quest to find out about Aizen's partner was put completely on halt when Sousuke leaned into him and stated plainly, "This requires a great deal of trust, because with just a single wrong move, I can paralyse you for life." 

Whether the sudden heat coursing through his body had something to do with those words, or Aizen's hands -that continued lower each time- was far too complicated to figure out at the moment. 

"As far as I know, Kisuke doesn't really look crippled to me." A sudden stronger push of fingers into a certain area took his breath away for a few seconds. "I think...it works better if I take off the yukata entirely..." Sousuke's hands were reaching far down to the middle of his back, underneath the cloth anyways. And it must be a hassle to reach that far down when the cloth didn't leave much room for leverage. 

"No need, Kyouraku-san, I wouldn't want you to think I am up to something." 

Shunsui was actually more or less anticipating the other's hands on his completely naked skin. He partially leaned up to loosen his obi and open up the front of his yukata. 

The other brunet suddenly seemed a lot more modest, hands retreated immediately, even if Shunsui was still wearing his underwear. Though to be honest, the fabric of his fundoshi was beginning to tighten. 

He adjusted the loose ends of his yukata so the part of the robe above the obi was limply hanging down, leaving his torso and back exposed, he resumed his position. 

"I was just about to straddle you..." 

"And this is a problem now?" perhaps his teasing earlier had scared the younger male quite a bit, as the other was apparently desperate to keep the massage as innocent as possible. He couldn't be certain of Sousuke's honesty when Shunsui was still lying on his stomach, but come on, there was already no massage oil involved so Sousuke should take it up a notch by heating up the rest of his muscles with skin on skin contact. 

After another reassurance from Kyouraku, Sousuke finally settled on the back of Shunsui's thighs. The weight of the other on his body truly evoked extra excitement into the massage. Because now, when Aizen's hands reached up to the back of his neck, Shunsui could feel the other bend over him completely. The slight back and forth movements of Sousuke's hips were almost visual by memory as soon as the brunet on top of him moved along to reach every muscle in order to add the right pressure. 

Those subtle movements stopped however when Sousuke's palms reached Shunsui's lower back. His hands suddenly seemed to have found a new spot to focus on, since they lingered around that area for quite some time. And surprisingly, pressure had build up there as well, because the digging fingers right above his buttocks felt heavenly. 

Apart from the occasional breathy sigh, Shunsui tried to keep his composure, which went down the drain when Sousuke palmed his sides to work his way down to Shunsui's hips. A groan escaped him and Kyouraku's hips lifted involuntarily to encourage the descend of Sousuke's thumbs. 

His cock had jumped to life from the moment Aizen delved underneath his yukata, but right now it was standing erect and quite literally seeking out that warm contact. It was even becoming a little too painful to still lie flat on his stomach... So Shunsui leaned up again, momentarily stopping Aizen's ministrations, whom seemed ready to apologise for trailing his hands to his front, before the Captain Commander promptly turned on his back. -after making Aizen raise himself up so Shunsui was no longer immobilised. 

Aizen, whom refused to look at Shunsui properly, was about to sit down again, only to immediately spring back up and reposition himself a little lower -on Shunsui's thighs- when he seated himself accidentally directly on his erect cock. 

The lower part of Kyouraku's yukata was still intact, but the folds were disheveled and partially opened after turning over. He didn't make an attempt to fix it, since his fundoshi was still worn underneath, granted the outline of his hard cock was clearly visible and the head peeked out just in the slightest from out of the fabric. 

"Don't tell me you're getting cold feet now." 

Aizen murmured a husky, "Hush," letting his eyes gradually take in the sight of the Captain Commander beneath him, before palms settled above Shunsui's pectorals. 

"I hope you know what you're getting yourself into." he advised, not to scare the younger male, but if Sousuke wanted to continue down the road of teasing him, Kyouraku had better warn him in advance of the treasure it would lead him to. Because he wasn't about to stop halfway. 

The warm hands travelled up the front of his shoulders to knead the skin in between his collarbone, and Shunsui couldn't help the fact that he raised his pelvis in the direction of the warm brunet that knelt over him, his own stomach almost touching the one underneath. 

The hands then moved to settle around his neck, giving off the image of choking Shunsui, even though he had plenty of leeway. "Remember Captain Commander, you didn't specify that you wanted a happy end." 

"I'm prone to change my mind, and right now," Shunsui closed his single eye to contemplate the thought. "it's leaning towards a happy end." he expressed with a thrust of his hips that had Sousuke scrambling to stay on board: one hand placed next to Kyouraku's head while the other supported his weight with a palm directly placed in the middle of his chest. 

"Oh, you were talking about the massage." Sousuke replied mischievously, but Shunsui had no pressing need to give it much thought and laughed it off as Aizen's bipolarity, before grabbing Sousuke by the hips and positioning him directly on to Shunsui's pressing need. 

The sigh of his name wasn't a cry from Aizen to make Kyouraku stop, but it was borderline pushing the other's comfort zone, so after easing the younger male into a rocking motion, the Captain Commander took off his hands from around the other's hips. "Just go with the flow." 

But as the other didn't exactly slow down, it was safe to assume that Sousuke was all up for that. The younger male's hands still lost their rhythm of massaging over his breastbone, and it turned into roaming touches to reach as much skin as possible. Although there was still squeezing involved, but the focus reverted to exploring rather than kneading out pressure. 

However, when he was about to undo Sousuke's obi, he was met with resistance. The hand that squeezed Kyouraku's wrist was putting up a good message and the Captain Commander left the belt tied around the other's waist. Consent was everything in his flings, so he didn't push it again. 

But, he wasn't about to be left hanging either. And taking matters into his own hands might encourage Sousuke after a while. The Captain Commander urged Sousuke to scoot back again, pushed the folds of his own yukata completely to the side, before freeing his cock from its restrained position behind his fundoshi. He rubbed himself slowly while watching the other brunet, whom couldn't ignore Shunsui's need any longer. 

Still, the short haired brunet glanced just briefly at his erect cock, but otherwise kept his eyes focused on Shunsui's. Shunsui wasn't sure how he initially thought Aizen would react in a situation like this, but his thoughts definitely hadn't involved a shy brunet taking over. 

Perhaps Aizen's trick was hiding his lack of confidence behind a layer of fake promises. 

Not that it was against the younger male's will though, since the hands still roamed Shunsui's torso, albeit their discourse had slightly turned uncertain? And Sousuke's hips had stopped their rhythm. 

He took a hold of Sousuke's wrist and guided it to his erect length, without any specific force behind it, so Sousuke could easily deflect his grip. Aizen's soft hand enclosed his cock, seizing up his shaft almost blindingly, before the brunet decided to speak up in a meek tone, "Kyouraku-san," 

"I think you're allowed to call me Shunsui when my dick is in your hands." the formal speech seriously took away from an intimate moment such as this. 

This shouldn't be the first time Sousuke had gotten someone off, he should have at least plenty of experience on himself. 

Shunsui therefore covered Sousuke's hand so it acted like a guide and extra encouragement. He ushered the other's palm in slow up and down strokes, squeezing here and there softly for the right pressure, only to ease up each time they reached his sensitive head. "You do play with yourself?" he asked in partial confirmation, because with Aizen's uncertainty, it was beginning to feel like the other lacked some experience. 

Sousuke gave the Captain Commander a look, making it clear that it was a silly question indeed. 

"Good, just rub it then, like you would play with yourself." 

Like any male over 12, Sousuke was well aquatinted with how to get himself off. It's just that, since Kisuke, he hadn't really indulged into any pleasures with anyone else, besides his hand. And he couldn't help but think that was betraying the blond in some way, which was ridiculous, because Kisuke certainly never cared about that... 

He shoved the notion to the back of his mind and focused on the Captain Commander instead. Brushing his thumb just lightly over the head, he gained confidence at hearing the older male sigh out in pleasure and sped up the pace of his strokes. 

Kyouraku oozed sex, the one eye that wasn't covered up by a patch peered at him with a smouldering look. And the coarse hairs on Shunsui's chin made the Captain Commander's grey eye color -darker than the one he was used to- stand out that much more. Sousuke's breath caught when he was aware that Shunsui was transfixed on the way Sousuke was ogling him. 

He ripped his gaze away from the other's deep stare to glance at the folds of robe folded underneath Shunsui, and the broad chest, covered in equally dark hairs, caught his attention further. He could take it from there, so after pulling Shunsui's hand off from around his own, Sousuke varied between teasing rubs and harder strokes. 

Until the Captain Commander demanded in a hoarse voice, "Get it wet for me." 

His mouth around Kyouraku's cock would certainly bring the older male that much closer to orgasm, but doubts in the back of Sousuke's mind revolving around the feeling of betraying Kisuke, stopped him from indulging himself completely. He moistened up his hand instead with salvia, before resuming the handjob. And despite Sousuke's refusal to accommodate to the Captain's demand, he still heard Shunsui's breathing become deeper at the feel of his moistened fist. 

Sousuke was painfully hard as well, but he willed himself to ignore his own pleasure. It wouldn't do to give Shunsui everything all at once anyways, anticipation building up was everything, especially with someone whose mojo was quick love. And no doubt Shunsui could feel that he was hard, Sousuke was thrusting against the Captain Commander's strong thighs underneath him after all. 

He looked back up into the smouldering gaze and felt the older male beginning to thrust into his fist and the meaty length practically throbbed in his tight hold. When the repeatedly slamming thrusts into his fist became jerkier, Sousuke had to reposition his other hand on Shunsui's chest to support himself, because the strong thighs underneath him practically bounced him up and down. And he didn't want to be tempted to give any thought to his own erection. 

Before Sousuke knew it, Shunsui's hand joined his again, grip tightening in order to help him with his release at a brutal pace. He moaned mindlessly as Shunsui's hot creamy liquid coated his and Shunsui's palms. When Sousuke's hand was forced to stop pumping, he took a glance at the white mess, and it uncontrollably triggered his own release, making him cry out in a strangled way and soil his underwear like a teenager whom didn't have any control over his arousal. 

He hadn't fully recovered from his painful sudden orgasm before Shunsui patted his hips with a clear guide to get Sousuke off of him. 

"Alright, I need a smoke." 

Sousuke looked in bewilderment at the Captain Commander's stament. Their intimate moment took a sudden turn. He wasn't exactly expecting a love declaration after that, but to be literally shoved aside? Even Kisuke let Sousuke at least sleep in his bed. But with Kyouraku, it was a brutally honest, 'thanks for the pleasure, your services are no longer required.' 

"I was not expecting..." 

Shunsui didn't even give him the time of the day anymore, he simply avoided looking at him while clothes were pulled on again. Surely it was to spare any clingy feelings... So Sousuke finished with a, "...a date, so do not fret." before leaving the room immediately. 

-0- 

Sousuke hadn't really slept that well, he had been more than alert during the night in order to listen for potential signs that Kyouraku disappeared again before dawn. Because he would have taken it as a serious offence after their...one on one time. 

But, no, the orgasm had probably aided the other in getting a good night's rest... 

He got up and was confronted by Kyouraku sitting at the breakfast table, as usual; the table was decked out nicely. At least that hadn't changed...but no sooner did those thoughts cross his mind, when Kyouraku straightened up and excused himself. 

"You're leaving already?" 

The older male gave him a funny look, as if it was an every day occurrence. 

"Of course, my duties as Captain Commander never end." 

"Are you sure that you're not running away from me?" 

The other took one last bite from his plate before muttering behind a hand, "I wouldn't dare." 

Oh, but he was, Sousuke recognised that distant behaviour out of nowhere, he had experienced it enough with Kisuke to pick up on the signs directly. Although the blond had the decency to only shove him aside whenever Yoruichi came over. Which was actually maybe worse...he had been useful to the blond for as long as he saw fit. 

That's not the sort of treatment that Sousuke would tolerate from the Captain Commander. He was practically shoved aside his entire life by those that he wanted to get close to: his parents were better left childless, not that Sousuke didn't appreciate the gift of life, but his mother and father never were the ultimate parental figures. For sure his own distant attitude had probably scared away potential friends throughout his childhood and academy years, that much he understood. But, even as the fake, kind and attentive captain of the fifth division, people kept a certain distance from him. While his own captain never wanted anything to do with him. 

Gin wasn't even worth mentioning, because that sneaky brat had his own agenda all along. And as last, his own boyfriend...well, ex, used him plain and simple as an easy lay whenever she wouldn't. 

That's why it hurt worse when Kyouraku did it, because Sousuke wasn't even looking for any kind of true bond. -honestly he gave up chasing that ages ago- He just needed to get close, so Kyouraku opened up his heart so to speak, and the key to his freedom could be simply grabbed. 

He wasn't about to leave it at that though, nor was he going to mope further about it, he hadn't used up all of his resources after all.


	5. Chapter four

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This was definitely in dire need of an update!

**Chapter four**

Sousuke ignored the scornful whispers that were hidden behind palms as he walked along the streets of the elite. He had expected as much; of course he wouldn't be welcomed by the nobility. The streets were public territory and even if **they** were of a different opinion, the brunet strolled through them without a care. He would bend for no one’s rule and therefore could care less about the contemptuous glances that were thrown his way. Locking himself up for the sake of avoiding that hate was the last thing his mind was troubled over. The resentment and dislike for him would probably be directed at him for the next decade. Because if there was one thing the nobility was steadfast on; it was holding a grudge. 

Besides his thoughts were filled with only one thing, or one man; and for the first time it wasn’t a certain blond. Kyouraku’s blatant disrespect for him had him regretting the handjob and wishing at the same time that the Captain Commander had been more adamant about getting Sousuke in his bed. And not just ushering him to the direction of Kyouraku’s futon for a quick lay, since the least he expected from the other was a little bit more class. 

Now he was anything but naive, Kyouraku was known for his one-nightstands. But that hot desire for some fleeting passionate encounter could have ended a little less...impersonal. It was all just business as usual to the Captain Commander, casual sex without a deeper meaning. 

But worst of all, it left him wanting... 

That firm warm touch of the other, guiding him as if he was incompetent had strangely overwhelmed him. He was never one to be intimidated by another, -as a higher being why should he?- but Kyouraku had that raw virility to made even the most powerful of men doubt their masculinity. Like grace and a superiority complex that was inherited by noble children, Kyouraku naturally oozed an inviting ruggedness. The complete opposite of what should normally flow through the Captain Commander’s system. 

Reigning in on his thoughts, he stopped himself from getting lost in hazy desires. He knew himself enough to prevent another obsession from brewing. And infatuation held him back from reaching his goal and Kisuke was the perfect example of that, so the last thing he needed was another failure like that. 

The luscious gardens were replaced with granite and stone as soon as he left the noble district, making it harder to sink away into burdensome thoughts. The Seireitei itself still had plenty of patches of green here and there, but nature had been overtaken by the structures of mankind. So the exterior lacked in comparison to the one he had become used to in Kyouraku’s estate. 

The hate for him became a bit more apparent as well. He therefore didn't venture further than necessary into the military zone, knowing that any guard he passed, had their eyes focused on him in an instant. The subtle signals being sent to each other were hardly a secretive language for someone like him. They should know whom they were dealing with. And yet, the two fingered sign against the guard’s zanpakuto was more than a clear hint that he was branded as an enemy to them. Such a difference from when he passed through with Kyouraku at his side -at the time of the foolish celebratory feast for the Soul King’s bonding- since no one dared to oppose the Captain Commander. 

So he decided to stop at the first available food stall. A simple omelet with rice it was going to be then... Although he would have rather impressed Kyouraku with a self made full coarse meal, he could do that with a light lunch as well. 

He waited in line, as you do, but once it was his turn, he was simply skipped over. Shinigami were a priority when being served, but when a regular civilian was prioritised as the next customer, Sousuke could no longer keep quiet. 

“Excuse me,” he interrupted them in the midst of their order, but the shopkeeper hardly payed attention to him and kept proceeding with the customer’s order instead of granting him even a glance. 

The unrefined animosity was blatant and beginning to irk him. 

“We don’t serve the likes of you.” 

He feigned a surprised, “Ah?” and refrained from letting a smirk threaten to overtake his expression to taint his fake astonishment. “Likes of me, care to elaborate?” 

The shopkeeper pointed in the direction of the west, “The Rukon district caters to criminals.” 

A criminal? He was guilty of felonious acts sure, he wouldn’t deny that. But, he’s far from the low life lawbreakers that inhabit the Rukon district. Sousuke sought justice, the chance to turn around all that wrong that infected the Seireitei in order to recreate a new world. 

“I am sorry, but did you just involuntarily call the Captain Commander a criminal?” 

That caught the shopkeeper’s attention immediately, he looked his way instantly. 

“I’m doing errands for the Captain Commander.” 

“He passes this street everyday, and to my knowledge he hasn’t informed me of you being his errand boy.” 

Sousuke interfered with the handover of the food when the customer behind him reached for his order. “Since when are you of the impression that Kyouraku-san needs to justify himself to you?” He was far from defenceless, so he didn’t release his grip on the order when the customer wanted to rip the food out of his hands. 

Of course that called all attention to him and two Shinigami were quick to meddle into his business. 

“Is there a problem here?” 

“Aizen is of the impression that he should still receive VIP treatment.” 

His name was said with such disgust as if it was an insult in itself, while half a decade before he was practically worshiped... 

“Apparently criminals are doing errands now for the Captain Commander.” 

A hand from behind him came to rest on his shoulder, giving a single squeeze as if to urge him to let go of the bag of food. While another Shinigami barked out a, “We can always visit the Captain Commander in order to confirm your task.” 

Well, he would have liked nothing more than to mutter, ‘Do as you wish,’ but considering Kyouraku’s rather childish avoidance, Shunsui would in no way confirm anything regarding him. 

Not to mention that he was trying to surprise Kyouraku. Well his actual intention was to show his gratitude for Kyouraku’s trust in allowing Sousuke to work for him. Even if it was a one time opportunity, he would be spending all he earned on the Captain Commander, a superficial flawless return of the other’s faith in him. 

“No need to disturb him right now, I shall be taking my leave, but rest be assured, the Captain Commander will hear of this.” 

It was a bit shameful to back down so effortlessly, but he tuned out their amusement. He had no Kyouka Suigetsu anymore, easy compliance was a trick of the past and it wouldn't do to cause a scene for a bit of food. Kyouraku certainly would not appreciate that... 

Kyouraku’s estate was situated the closest to the eastern gate of the Seireitei, so he made his way back in order to steer clear of the capital. The last thing he needed was commotion in the midst of the Gotei 13. 

And just behind the borders of the Seireitei lay the district where he grew up. He dreaded walking past his childhood home, but somehow the nostalgia attracted him exactly to his neighbourhood. 

It wasn’t hard to recognise his house. It was the most unkept one in the street, completely abandoned as if a curse rested upon the ground... Nature had reclaimed the property and had invaded broken windows to creep indoors while the second floor threatened to collapse at any second. 

He didn’t know what he expected to be confronted with. But somewhere he had maybe hoped to see his parents still inhabit the small house, not that he could have just entered as if nothing had happened... 

They wouldn’t have even been waiting on him anyways. 

So sad that it had to be this way, he never particularly cared much for sentiment, but that, unbeknownst, did something to him. 

He didn’t linger too long around the house, because he saw one of the neighbours peek through the window at him, probably questioning his interest in the rundown structure. And before she could alert anyone of his suspicious behaviour, Sousuke set course towards one of the stores he remembered to be situated on the end of the block. 

Unfortunately, not even the little shop had been spared from the propoganda. The petite woman behind the cash register called enforcement from the back as soon as he walked into their establisment. 

Apparently, the rumours of the desolate dwelling in their area had spread around. 

He had been guilty of gaining a following here and there, since a revolution is never won alone. Growing up behind the borders of the Seireitei automatically spawned hate for the nobility. The protection the elite receive just from being born in a golden crib is anything but justified, those sort of privileges create unrest while the rest of society functions as a sacrifice. So it wasn’t exactly hard to get lost in the crowd’s rebellion and somewhere along the road the quiet resistance grew, until it eventually evolved in promises of a greater Soul Society with himself on the throne. 

But the gatherings might have been destroyed somewhere along his defection...well, what did they expect? Great victory requires great sacrifices. Actually, Scratch out the word ‘victory’ for ‘failure’ though, because he was as close to the throne as he was a decade ago... 

Although if he succeeded with Kyouraku he could get pretty close now. 

In the midst of shopping for groceries he was stopped by someone whom was presumably the owner of the store. 

“We’re closed right now.” 

Even if the noble district lay the closest to the east gate, that didn’t mean that traveling from one point to another, especially somewhere beyond the borders of the Seireitei, took quite a while. And considering he couldn’t make use of shunpo, his route took even longer. But surely not a whole day so it was nowhere near closing time already. 

“Store hours are until 8pm if I’m not mistaken.” He smiled, because he needed to remain being polite, but it was obvious why they were singling him out. 

“You don’t understand; we’re closed for you.” 

Of course... 

Apparently he was a target over the whole Spirit World. He took great pleasure in being known across all districts, but not when his fame caused him great disadvantages. Not even the excuse of shopping for the Captain Commander could bring him in a positive light, he was simply refused because of his past actions. 

He was beginning to wonder if the kanji characters for ‘traitor’ lay engraved unto his forehead. Because the dislike for him had never been this apparent. 

“The Captain Commander never goes for his groceries here. There are fancier shops in the capital no doubt.” 

The hint of distain for the elite was obvious in the voice of the shopkeeper and yet still no sympathy for Sousuke’s attempt at a better world? 

“A pity, the Captain Commander is behind all those prestigious titles still a regular soul, why would he refrain from coming here just because your shop is situated behind the borders?” 

He was definitely contradicting his own beliefs. But besides living the aristocratic lifestyle, Kyouraku certainly didn’t behave like one and that was perhaps one of the things that made the other so likeable in the first place. 

The shopkeeper looked him up and down in distaste as if the man was aware of Sousuke’s own opposing judgement. 

“Get out now, or I’m going to call security.” 

Shinigami still patrolled beyond the borders of the Seireitei, but they rarely meddled into anyone’s affairs, unless there was a Hollow attack or suspicion of resistance against Central 46’s laws. Because ever since Sousuke’s mutiny, anyone could pose a threat; even regular civilians. 

But why bother creating turmoil and increase the dislike for him? 

So he simply complied without further ado and left the store. Neither did he have any better luck in nearby shops or stalls. It was the same story anyhow; he was unwelcome. 

Well, that only left one place where he would not be refused... 

Even before the stone paved sidewalks ended and were replaced with dirt, Sousuke knew what he had to expect in the Rukongai. Though the streets were more than alive than in the neighbourhoods where regular Souls lived, the lack of any security made the starting point of the Rukon district already feel as if one had walked into the slums. 

It was loud, because vendors yelled at anyone in order to vie for potential customers. Even though everything was low quality, including the food. Children and stray dogs ran around through the crowd, bumping into anyone without respect. 

He had never belonged to the elite, but, he was quite the commodity in these streets as well. Since Kyouraku’s expensive clothing had him standing out like a sore thumb immediately. And he was certain that it wasn’t because of his name. 

The words, “Aren’t you lost, pretty boy?” came almost instantly when he was casually browsing the goods of one of the vendors. 

Swindlers and worse, all sorts of frauds wandered these roads, all deserving of the term; criminal. Definitely not something Sousuke would associate himself with. 

That didn’t mean though that he hadn’t made use of their services while in the heat of his rebellion. He only gave the orders though, since he had never bathed his hands in the blood of one of his past victims, unless they deserved it! The destruction of Souls on the other hand was never done by him personally, the Hogyoku needed those sacrifices, and these scoundrels needed money or an option to preform their sick and twisted pleasures. They were business deals, nothing less, nothing more. 

He knew what they were thinking, his attire made them perceive him as a defenceless Soul with money; an easy target. 

But, he didn’t even grant the crook a glance, since he was unworthy of his time if they didn’t truly recognise him. 

One food stall after the other, but none of the groceries looked fresh... and surprisingly overpriced considering the quality... 

He felt the same guy, whom called him out, wander a hand down his side. 

“Real silk? That had quite a price tag, I’m sure.” 

Pushing the guy firmly back, out of his personal space, Sousuke stared him down. The other’s appearance alone betrayed what district he originated from, although that wasn’t a surprise when you simply looked at the surroundings. Since the scruffy representation went further than outward appearances alone, the houses were just as ragged looking. If they could even be called houses... 

His own rundown family home could actually fit in quite well here now, and that was a shame... 

The guy wasn’t intimidated in the slightest and grinned at him with a couple of rotten teeth and before he knew it, he was shadowed by the other. 

Sousuke wasn’t on edge though, sure he was no longer immortal without the Hogyoku, but he would never fear such low lives. 

All they needed was a firm hand. 

He had given up on trying to find any good quality foods after a while, so he tried to bargain, but unfortunately in vain, since they were practically offended by his attempts at reducing the price. 

“Price is too high? Go further down the road and ya might find somethin’ worth yer price.” The vendor beside the stall he was bargaining at yelled loudly and others laughed along like hyenas as if it was the joke of the day. 

He wasn’t planning on wandering further into the heart of the Rukongai or any specific district for that matter. Because all he needed were some ingredients for a full meal. But along his way of walking passed the different vendors, he was approached by similar charlatans. 

Two scantily dressed ladies beckoned him over from their position at one of the gates; which was the beginning of the Inuzuri district. Definitely not a direction he was planning on exploring. Though he still heard their scornful remarks of; “Rather have a pretty male?” 

At one point the row of countless stalls ended and here and there were some lone vendors situated in the middle of the street. And while it wasn’t his initial intention to wander that far, he searched through the goods on the lookout for something that wasn’t on the verge of expiring. 

The stall he stopped at had no customer at all, and that in itself should have been suspicious, but he was somewhere glad for the space. The old lady behind the stall even let him browse the goods in peace, without pressuring him to buy anything at all. 

He still hadn’t lost his stalker though, but since there were no crowds around the vendor, it was easier to keep an eye on the guy as well. 

When someone bumped into him, deliberately, Sousuke grabbed the guy by the scruff of his neck and pinned him against the goods of the wooden display. And sure enough, the thought of a hand slipping inside of his pocket had been no mere hallucination, because the thief had his money grasped into a palm. 

Pickpockets were also common in this region and were mostly done by teens and kids, since the young man was probably 16 at most? 

His action didn’t earn him the attention of a helping hand, and even if he hadn’t defended himself, everyone would still turn a blind eye to these crimes. To any assault actually, unless there was a kind hearted Soul wandering around, endeavouring to become a Shinigami and change the Rukongai. 

...Until they finally learned in the Academy what purpose the Rukon district served to Soul Society... 

Demanding his money back was anything but a hassle as the teen gave it back instantly, along with a rough, “Just testin’ ya.” 

Sousuke pulled him off of the table to shove him aside and out of his way. And the commotion oddly enough lost him his stalker. And that did put him on edge, because surely the little altercation hadn’t scared the crook away. Looking around in every direction he was not so subtly on the look out for the guy whom had been shadowing him. And just in case, he checked his pouch for certainty. 

But the pickpocket hadn’t been a distraction at all, since he still counted the exact same amount he started his journey with. 

Deciding to forget his stalker, he walked to the next stall, the last one, since he was simply wasting his time here. 

And was then that he became a casual observer of one of those regular altercations. The thief had been a small child, whom was simply backhanded by a passerby. And considering the kid’s smaller stature, she flew to the ground a couple of feet from the agressor. 

“Little fucking bitch, ye’re not gonna do that again anytime soon.” 

His own pickpocket had been part of a gang, they were on a roll apparently... Stealing from unsuspecting customers. 

And while she did deserve to be hit, when the agressor and their companions became too touchy with the little girl, it was time to step in. Injustice, wherever it was even located should end, especially when it involved children. 

It’s the reason why he had concerned himself with Gin... 

But as he approached, they let her go immediately, which was strange considering he wasn’t in Shinigami uniform, neither did he have the impression that anyone truly recognised him. 

Her tattered yukata was so torn by the assault that she could have easily originated from the Inuzuri, scandalous and completely inappropriate at that age. 

He would have given her a coat, if he had one on his person, but the expensive materials of the Kyouraku estate would have made the girl a target for more than just perverts. 

Squatting down near her cowering form, Sousuke inquired, “Where do you live?” because she couldn’t possibly reach her home, dressed as she was. She was a gutter rat, used to begging and stealing to survive, but she didn’t need to be scarred for life. 

Although who was he to save her from such crimes when all he was doing was clearing his own conscience since he happened to be a bystander by accident. He definitely wouldn’t be dedicating his life to saving her from this Hellhole, but the least he could do was bring her home safely for the day. 

She was but a mere child, innocent and pure. 

It was his turn to shadow someone and that did mean venturing further into the blighted areas. 

She eventually stopped at a shady looking warehouse. Not only was the wooden panelling discoloured from weathering many storms, but it was the missing windows and the metal scrap that functioned as a door that was ominous enough in first place. Not to mention that it was pitch dark inside of the room where the girl disappeared into. 

The incident with the pickpocket betrayed that she was part of a gang and that just forced him to involuntarily check out the girl’s living quarters or at least the Souls she shared her space with. 

Entering the dark warehouse, he changed his opinion from shady to creepy. Since the opened door provided him with the view of puppets basically. The space was filled with racks that held Noh masks depicting demonic characters and marionettes hanging from strings. And the walls were lined with big floor to ceiling mirrors. The overall eerie setting had him more than unsettled. 

Turning around to leave, he caught a fleeting glance of the girl in one of the mirrors, she was smiling from ear to ear and the rotten teeth he was presented with reminded him instantly of his stalker. That thought had him turning back towards where he presumed she was standing, only for the shape of the little girl to transform in the guy whom had been shadowing him. 

Sousuke grabbed the nearest object he could find for protection but the man was on him in a second, though it was one of those marionettes. But the reiatsu that was used was controlled, betraying that his stalker had had some form of practice in the academy, and in Sousuke’s defenceless state, he couldn’t possibly hold the other at a distance. 

He was body slammed into one of the shelves and the wood splintered apart, giving up beneath the weight of the two of them. Sousuke automatically fell back unto the collapsed display and almost immediately a sharp poker like object was brandished close to his binding chain. The fear was truly invigorating at that point, since he hadn't foreseen this situation from happening. 

“Ye’re not the only one who’s capable of pulling illusions.” was snarled into his face while Sousuke tried with all of his might to redirect the other’s wrist from one of his crucial pressure points. But he just couldn’t match up to his attacker’s strength and the metal rod was stabbed just a hair’s breath from his binding chain. 

He cried out when the object pierced his body, especially since the lack of reiatsu had him experiencing the blunt hit of it, without being able to tranquillise the after effects of the pain. It was lodged skin deep into him and the other grinned his creepy smile before slowly trying to drag the rod down, closer to his binding chain. 

Struggling was obviously not an option at that point, but the tendrils of agony made it impossible not to move an inch beneath the amateur illusionist. He tried to withdraw the piercing object then, but the pain intensified, and he worried about the risk of hitting a lung along the way. 

Putting up minimal resistance in the form of trying to hold the other back from reaching his main pressure point, he felt around for the broken object he had picked up initially as a weapon. And the only thing he came in contact with were the strings of the marionette. 

Deciding to struggle anyways so as to get his legs free, he hiked up his knee into the other’s groin, distracting the man for a minute. Even if it simultaneously drove the rod deeper, it was at least temporarily a relief of his attacker’s pressure around the area of his sternum. 

Turning on his side, Sousuke had to turn his back on the guy to be able to pull one string through another, recreating a makeshift noose. A hand tried to push him completely unto his stomach, trying to force the rod even deeper. And that strength was simply impossible to counter so he blindingly reached behind him to sling the loop around his attacker’s neck, even though he was in dire need of both of his hands in order to prevent himself from being squashed unto the floor, and inevitably, plunge the rod so deep it would hit a vital point of his pressure system anyway. 

He cut off the other’s air supply sharply, ignoring his own discomfort for the time being as he wrenched the end of the string to his own side, forcefully rolling the guy on top of him as well. The amateur illusionist was no longer pushing into his behind to flatten Sousuke to the ground by then though. On the contrary, the other was struggling against the leash, concerning himself fully with the threat of being choked rather than trying to harm Sousuke. 

And that’s the kind of leverage he needed to yank the other fully off of him so the guy was struggling beside him, in his vision. Without getting up, since that could potentially be a wrong move on his side, Sousuke tightened the noose even more, bent on choking the life out of the other. 

The tight cords dug forcefully into his attacker’s neck, drawing blood and discolouring the skin due to the pressure he used. It took a long time for the other to stop breathing, the gasping for breath and the other’s bloodshot eyes were not a pretty sight and he tried to end it as quickly as possible, since Sousuke was if anything, not a sadistic person, despite what others may have thought. 

When the guy finally stopped moving completely, he straightened up slowly and tried to calm down from the adrenaline rush. Before withdrawing the rod from above his binding chain. Though with the constant pulses of pain, it took longer to get the awful object out. Normally he could just take a deep breath and rip it out like a bandaid, but his reiatsu-less state made him immensely sensitive. 

He was even feeling strangely exhausted from the little struggle even though the altercation couldn’t begin to even be compared to a basic Shinigami battle. There were no zanpakuto involved and neither did the guy possess superior pressure in first place, so despite ending the other, Sousuke felt anything but invigorated by his triumph. 

Afterwards he ripped a piece from his kimono in order to compress the deep wound in some way. 

He staggered home thereafter, stopping on his way to buy groceries from the abandoned stall that was manned by the old lady. She didn’t particularly question his weird behaviour, hardly even looked at him and that’s what he needed when he felt so weakened. 

Trudging his way back home took longer than his journey of traveling there. So by the time he arrived back at the Kyouraku estate it was well past seven, even though he had left in the early afternoon... 

He showered as soon as he entered and took care of his wound to the best of his abilities until the master of the estate would come back and heal him with reiatsu. Though even after his shower, Kyouraku hadn’t come home yet. 

He had gone to Hell and back in order to get the ingredients so Kyouraku had better be coming home, because he would be shoving the meal down the other’s throat if he thought of rejecting Sousuke’s efforts after all he had gone through for a bit of food. 

Deciding to begin with the preparations of diner anyways, with or without the other’s presence, the Captain Commander eventually showed up a bit later while Sousuke was still busy in the kitchen. 

There was no awkward atmosphere around them considering what happened between them yesterday, even Kyouraku’s childish avoidance was nowhere to be found... 

As if nothing had happened between them, Kyouraku took a peek into the pots and pans cheerfully. 

“What smells so good?” 

He couldn’t stop the annoyed look from being hidden as soon as the older male smiled his way. But Kyouraku didn’t pay his expression any mind, and simply refocused on trying to take a test bite from the vegetables. 

Swatting the other’s hand away and out of the frying pan, he scolded, “The fish is already cooked, but the vegetables still need a little lon-” 

Kyouraku tried a second time anyways, though his hand was enhanced with reiatsu, so Sousuke couldn’t possibly match his speed, before the older male took the fish off of the fire to take it with him into the direction of the table. All the while the Captain Commander was humming a tune contentedly. 

That enthusiasm was contagious for sure, but the total disregard of what had happened between them was just unnerving Sousuke and diminishing that happiness. 

“Where did you shop?” 

Everywhere...or how about the whole fucking Soul Society, but he could prevent his bad mood from destroying Kyouraku’s buoyant aura by telling him, “The Rukongai.” 

He heard the other male choking on something, probably on the piece of fish that he had swallowed in his haste to hide that he had taken a test-bite again. Although when Sousuke turned the corner, Shunsui’s hand clawed at his throat as though grasping for something... 

“I know it’s not the best quality, but it can’t be that bad...” 

But when the coughing and gasping continued, he began to get truly worried that something was wrong. He immediately knelt next to Kyouraku, trying to see some reaction other than the desperate attempts at trying to gasp for air. 

And when the other literally fell back flat on the ground, he started to panic. 

A dozen guards entered in a span of a second through every window and door, locked or not, and Sousuke was apprehended with a kidou spell the moment they flew into the estate. 

It all happened so fast that he couldn't even put up a decent defence in the act of clearing his name from whatever had just happened. 

-0- 

Sousuke was stuck behind bars again, but not in Muken, it was a simple holding cell in the second division while his hands were locked behind him with Kidou spells. 

It wasn't difficult to come up with a possible explanation in the hours he had to wait before someone finally decided to inform him of what happened. 

He shouldn’t have bought anything at a stall that had customers avoiding it like the plague, or more importantly, he shouldn’t have resorted to shopping in the Rukon district at all. Because how was he possibly going to talk his way out of this mess? 

The feel of Urahara’s pressure was something that perked him up in an instant and he quickly rose up from the bench in the cell to wait expectantly on the blond. He was practically plastered against the bars in order to get a glimpse of the other as soon as he heard his voice. 

Though he hid that excitement when Kisuke approached him, reverting to a nonchalant disposition as if Kisuke wasn’t worth his time. 

“Poison?” He stated, partially as confirmation and partially as a rhetorical question. 

Kisuke nodded, there was absolutely no amount of judgement in the other’s expression. 

Sousuke had expected no less , Kisuke was forever convinced of his innocence, blaming his past actions on jealousy in order to avoid mentioning their relationship. But he was curious what conclusion Kisuke would reach this time, since this situation had nothing to do with their relationship. 

“A relatively easy poison to make, actually. Something you would have no problem fabricating.” 

He smiled lightly at Kisuke’s questionable stare, since he wanted to shove aside the current problem and talk about them. Surely Kisuke must miss him. Yoruichi couldn’t give him what Sousuke gave Kisuke; their love and hate for each other knew no boundaries. 

“And you’re here to take me back into your custody?” 

Kisuke shook his head. “No, why would I?” 

His smile disappeared in an instant. Why couldn’t Kisuke be honest with himself? 

“The Captain Commander is completely stabilised, the fourth division was successful in preventing the poison from reaching his pressure system. He’s being informed now about everything that happened...including your statement.” 

“Mmhmm...I see.” Well, he wasn’t hoping that Kyouraku would have died, since there had to be some sort of security locked into receiving his freedom. And killing Kyouraku seemed a too easy task to fulfil in order to get the key. No doubt some sort of punishment for Sousuke would automatically be triggered after Kyouraku’s death, and since he was alive and well... “So you are of the impression that I must be the perpetrator.” 

“No.” 

There was Kisuke’s everlasting devotion...and that filled him with pride, knowing that the blond was still going strong for him. 

“It’s too easy. And this time I’m not talking about the poison. You would come up with something a little less obvious and definitely something more intricate. This was simply a foolish attempt, but not done by you.” Kisuke finished with a salutary nod before turning around to leave. 

And in his haste to call the blond back, Sousuke questioned, “Did you talk to Kyouraku?” Because he didn’t want the other to leave so soon. He basked in the feel of Kisuke’s pressure, it was so familiar when she wasn’t around tainting Kisuke’s feelings. 

Though nothing more than halting Kisuke mid step was all he accomplished by his feeble attempt at persuading the other to hang around. 

“You can ask him yourself, since I’m sure that he’s going to pick you up in a bit.” 

Well, he didn’t want Kisuke to get the impression that he had traded him off for Kyouraku. His initial plan was installing a little bit of jealousy, sure, and the chance at freedom of course. But the last thing he wanted was pushing the other completely away from him. 

But without further ado, Kisuke shunpo’d away. 

He sighed and slumped down unto the stone bench, awaiting Kyouraku’s turn to show up. 

When the older male did make an appearance, Sousuke briefly glanced at the Captain Commander, whom casually stopped at his cell door, since he was still a little depressed about Kisuke’s disappearance. 

“You look good...considering the situation...” More than good actually, Kyouraku seemed to be fine, showing no outward signs that he had just survived being poisoned. That effortless unperturbed personality was a true feat of the other. 

He heard a deep chuckle before his cell door opened and the Captain Commander dissuaded the kidou around his wrists. Afterwards, the older male leaned into his personal space, and Sousuke let Shunsui freely reach behind him to untie his hands. 

The familiar scent of the other instantly reminded him of their passionate encounter and he glanced out of the corner of his eye at Kyouraku, silently gauging how the other experienced their close proximity, yet all that kept the aristocrat’s focus was his bound wrists. His unbreakable stare though drew the other’s attention eventually to him. 

“I would say; surprise! for the food I cooked, but I guess that you wouldn’t appreciate that right now.” 

The corners of Kyouraku’s mouth turned in that roguish smile that could most definitely appreciate some tomfoolery, until his gaze fell down Sousuke’s chest. 

Kyouraku’s fumbling around while trying to get his wrists loose had involuntarily shifted the folds of his clothes apart, revealing but a hint of the bloodied cloth that covered his wound. But when the other reached out to his front, loosening his kimono, he first thought Kyouraku was trying to coax him into having sex with the older male again. But it’s then that Sousuke realised that Kyouraku had found the wound caused by the metal rod of his stalker. 

Healing pressure immediately surrounded the area and it was such a sudden relief from the constant ache that he practically leaned into the other’s touch, encouraging the intake of Shunsui’s reiatsu. Because he had already enjoyed it in the heat of the moment, Kyouraku’s pressure was practically making him drowsy with desire. Not unlike an aphrodisiac, but since he was basically exhausted from all that happened, Sousuke willed his arousal away. Ignoring the beginnings of an erection would help his problem just as well. 

But he still slightly steered the other’s wrist away, silently telling him to stop had Kyouraku leaning back, out of his space. 

Deciding on concentrating to clear his name by enforcing his side of the story, he began telling him, “There was this man that-” 

“I heard everything.” Kyouraku interrupted and at Sousuke’s disbelieving glance, he promised, “And I have no reason to mistrust you, nor should you be scared that your statement has been reformed.” 

“So you believe me?” 

The other more or less confirmed it without actually verbally answering him. “Patrols have found no food stalls being manned by someone that matched your description. The neighbourhood was searched, though no warehouses were found either, but...” 

“But?...You believe me?” 

“Sure.” His response was vague, the same for the expression Kyouraku faced him with. 

“Do you think that I was foolish in trusting a small child?” Sousuke wasn’t looking for a validation, certainly not, but he needed Kyouraku’s trust in order to gain his freedom. 

The Captain Commander took a place beside him on the bench. His gaze was focused on a single point somewhere in the cell, while a warm smile replaced the lopsided grin. “I remember back in the day, on our patrols in the Rukongai that I had to prevent Ju-chan from adopting every orphan he stumbled upon. A difficult process I can tell you that, since he just completely brightened up in the presence of children, even on his bad days...” 

Heartwarming...the way Kyouraku spoke about Ukitake. A little bit sad as well, since the melodramatic vibe would make anyone think that Ukitake had disappeared as a Soul entirely, while he actually evolved into a higher being... 

Kyouraku smiled back at him, less enthusiastic than he was used to, probably because of the somber direction their conversation turned to. “But it’s admirable, nonetheless, the way you showed such concern.” 

“Admiration is the emotion furthest from understanding.” 

Shunsui laughed heartily before the man’s large hand squeezed his shoulder comfortably. “You’re not the monster that you’re desperately trying to represent yourself as, Sousuke.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A/N: I want the readers to know that Aizen is completely off into la la land about his crimes here, thinking he’s clear of any blame. He’s simply justifying his own acts with the help of excuses. Turning a blind eye to his own deeds, of course he's not the Devil here either.


	6. Chapter 5

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Next time I update will be for 'Your wish is my command', but I really wanted to add an extra chapter to this story, since I had neglected it for a while.

**Chapter five**

Shunsui secretively enjoyed the embrace of his best friend, even though while he hushed Ju-chan's worried rant, "I'm okay, really." because he couldn't betray that he rather didn't want Ju-chan to let go of him. The tight hug and the other's scent, actually just the general feeling of his childhood friend in his arms was something he wanted to cherish forever. 

Jushiro looked beautiful, better than even on his best days down in Soul Society. The dark circles under his eyes were gone and it seemed like a permanent smile rested on that angelic face from now on. No worried frowns over Ju-chan's disability were marring his friend's face, since those worries were a thing of the past. The transformation into the Soul King had all traces of the sickness vanishing instantly. He became immortal, yet still remained so humble and compassionate. 

He reluctantly let Jushiro disengage himself from the hug and was faced with his friend's searching gaze. 

"I know, I sent an invitation for next weekend, but I had to see you now, after what happened..." 

He stretched in an act of nonchalance and looked around the tea-room, anywhere but his friend, since that expression was his weakness. "Oh that...it takes more than a couple of drops of poison to take me down." he laughed Jushiro's concern away even though he secretively loved the other caring for him. 

His friend's expression betrayed that he strongly disagreed with Shunsui. He couldn't deny that it stroked his ego to know that he was still one of the most important people in Ju-chan's life. As it should be. 

"Kyouraku-san," When he turned around he was met with Jushiro's fiancé, Kiyomi, she politely bowed to him and set a tray of tea cups on the table in between the lounge chairs. 

Of course, she was still here as well. She also lived up in the Royal Realm already although they weren't bonded yet. Didn't they need to consummate their bond before she was allowed to sleep next to Jushiro? 

She was lovely, delicate looking even, simply a gem and certainly a vision he could appreciate if he was feeling particularly lonely or horny... But, she was Jushiro's. Or actually, Ju-chan was her's now, and that was the major thorn in that vision. 

He smiled though, and played out his charm by invading into her space and taking one of her hands to gently kiss it. A gentleman's act, his womanizing, as he was 'known' for. Although he only did that now to conceal his own jealousy, better to pretend that he desired her instead of outwardly giving off the vibe that he didn't, since he knew how that would end. He was never one for romance novels, but he was smart enough to realize that it would hurt Jushiro. 

The sweet sound of his angel's chuckling filled the room, afterwards Ju-chan beckoned his fiancé over to sit down next to him. Not that his friend did that out of concern that Shunsui would woo her over, because he would never do that to his Jushiro. He probably just wanted to be close to her. 

Not that the lovers were overly affectionate, on the contrary, they simply sat close to each other without any unnecessary show of each other's love. Which he was grateful of, though their love was still something he would rather deny. 

Kiyomi poured a cup of tea for him and Shunsui halted her efforts immediately. "Honey, I don't like sweet things, don't you have anything stronger?" 

Those melodic chuckles of his friend resounded through the room again. And she blinked innocently while Jushiro explained his preference for alcoholic beverages. But before she could get up and burden herself with getting him a cup of sake, Jushiro prevented her from leaving by telling her, "It's fine, he needs to appreciate whatever is offered to him." A sneaky little grin was thrown his way and that was another thing that he missed about his Ju-chan; their playful banter. 

It was just so quiet without his company. Even if they weren't constantly involved into a conversation, the mere presence of the other made him content as well. But he had realized that particular sentiment too late...much too late. 

"Besides a temporary halt in your massive consumption of alcohol is never a bad thing." 

He laughed heartily, "Oh that must be infuriating, the fact that you can't control that anymore." because that was probably the only thing that he liked about Jushiro's absence. Though to be honest, too much of anything is bad. And the alcohol was affecting him...and not in a good sense, since it had become a mechanism to drown out anything he didn't want to accept. 

"You are eating enough, aren't you?" Jushiro's searching eyes roamed his seated form fretfully. 

"Of course, I mean the last thing I ate poisoned me, but overall I'm doing fine." 

That didn't seem so funny to his Ju-chan though, the creases caused by worry were forming on his friend's face. Easily deriving from the elated atmosphere. 

"About that..." 

He looked at the other, ready to fend off the qualms of unnecessary concern, because the last thing he wanted was for Jushiro to feel uneasy about leaving him alone. Yeah, he enjoyed the other's coddling, but it didn't need to be taken too far. 

"I heard about your new housemate." 

Shunsui hadn't really envisioned their conversation taking that turn. But it's only natural that he was informed. His friend had been strangely enough immediately aware of the poison incident... 

"Ah, Sousuke-kun...yeah, well, housemate is a bit of a stretch, he was more or less forced upon me..." 

"I can always usher the demand for a transfer." 

Definitely not needed, "No, he's fine, I actually have no complaints about him." since Sousuke's company was if anything no bother. Because, why would he deny the presence of a bootycall that was always on standby? 

"The kid has troubles, Shunsui." 

Jushiro and he were more than a couple of decades older than Sousuke, but Sousuke was well passed his adolescent stage. Or else Shunsui wouldn't have even touched the other, that was for certain, he had limits and standards. 

He shrugged. "Who hasn't these days..." 

A doubtful glance was his friend's response, along with a wary, "Yesterday was a great example of-" 

He held out a hand, halting Ju-chan mid speech. "Nonsense, Sousuke-kun was not to blame." 

"How can you be so certain? Your niece told me that there are rumors floating around that he bought the food specifically for you." 

Nanao-chan...of course they were in communication with each other. They were really keeping an eye on him...a little disconcerting actually. Didn't Jushiro trust him? 

"Exactly, rumors." Disbelief is all he recognised in the look Jushiro sent him. "Don't worry, I had a little chat with Kisuke-kun, and I think we can both agree on the fact that he's our resident Aizen expert..." he laughed at his own explanation while trying to douse Ju-chan's skepticism. "...and he's just as convinced of his innocence." 

"His past deeds-" 

"Everyone has a past, Ju-chan, and things we aren't so proud of." his determined look silenced his friend's worries in an instant. 

"But if I can help you with anyhti-" 

"Then I'll be sure to contact you. Now, how are the preparations for your bonding coming along?" 

Definitely not a subject he was happy to breach, but it would have been brought up one way or another, so it was best if that burden was just taken out of the way. 

Jushiro smiled again, that sweet gentle smile that had the faintest hint of dimples appearing... And it was painful to realize that the smile was the result of a future that involved someone else besides him. 

-0- 

When Shunsui arrived home, Sousuke sat on the edge of the deck, legs tanning nicely in the sun while his feet dipped into the pond. The Captain Commander admired those long legs appreciatively as he lit his pipe. 

"Getting a tan?" 

The younger male's head peeked from behind his parasol at him, seemingly surprised at his sudden presence. 

"I'm just enjoying the warm weather. You're back early." 

The other's yukata was fairly opened above the obi as well, it somehow enhanced the choker that acted as a sort of conductor. -should some of Aizen's reiatsu manage to escape. 

"It's the weekend." he countered with a shrug. 

"And yet you were up and out of the house before dawn." 

Since when did he have a curfew? Or more like, was the questioning really necessary? It was his house in the first place, he was allowed to come and go wherever and whenever he wanted. 

He shrugged yet again, before approaching the other, but he stopped at a certain distance away so Sousuke wasn't bothered by his smoke. He still had a nice birds view of those smooth legs though. 

A not so innocent expression crossed his companion's face as soon as his intriguing stare was noted. "Is something the matter, Captain Commander?" 

"If you lay out in the sun too long, your legs are going to be nicely tanned, but the rest of your body will still be pasty white." 

A quirky smile revealed perfect pearly whites at that. "Not as porcelain white as the Soul King." 

Shunsui took a long drag of his pipe after that. 

The little fiend, whom caught him off guard glanced back in front of him, but the smirk still clearly resounded in Sousuke's voice. "You seem to like them ethereal of color. Maybe Kuchiki is something for you." 

He snorted. Oh he wouldn't mind disheveling that perfect appearance, but an affair like that would involve too many strict rules. And that was a major turn off. "I think Byakuya is more into redheads, not to mention tattoos seem to be making him go wild sometimes." 

"Mmh...there's just something about the forbidden fruit that makes some go completely out of character. Love does strange things...doesn't it?" 

"Love? Lust you mean." 

He was actually done with his pipe before the tobacco burned up, he just needed some cold water in order to cool off, because the enticing sight of the other caught his undivided attention. 

As he dipped his hand into the water for a quick check, he sighed loudly in relief at the change in temperature. It was peaceful outside, just the two of them, enjoying the sunny day. The tranquility was nice, but after having just come back from the Royal Realm and having to listen to Jushiro's future plans, he craved some action; something that prevented his mind from wandering. 

Carefully taking off the flowery kimono, he folded it neatly afterwards, before taking off his sandals and shrugging off his hoari carelessly. The motions of undressing had his companion glancing back up at him. 

"Can you swim?" 

"What are you planning? You're not going to swim in the pond, right?" Came the other's confused query. 

He still kept casually undressing while Sousuke modestly looked back in front of him. Though Shunsui saw the other subtly glancing back more than once. He was an expert at that, so Sousuke shouldn't be acting so innocent. The younger male had already been flashed by him, and it's not like Shunsui was particularly shy. "Join me?" He nodded at the pond while throwing his kosode next to Sousuke on the deck. 

"And be spied on by your Special Ops that hide on your roof in case you croak any minute?" 

Not that he was necessarily in need of protection but, as the Captain Commander some extra security could never hurt. As was demonstrated yesterday... Although they only sprang into action as soon as his reiatsu showed signs of distress. 

It was just a privilege that belonged to his title, and it had nothing to do with the fact that Aizen lived under his roof. 

"Mah, they have better things to do than catching you butt naked, Sousuke." 

His companion chuckled and looked briefly up at him, before turning back to look in the direction of the pond. But, it's also in that instant that Shunsui dropped his hakama. The younger male's head turned so fast back towards him as if Sousuke was waiting on the chance of being flashed again. 

He smirked, though the other's response was blissful ignorance by turning his head away from him again. 

"Come, take it all off so we can go for a swim." 

"You're serious? In that water?" Sousuke's expression contorted into one of displeasure. 

"Of course." By then his shitagi was pulled off already as well, leaving Shunsui in just his fundoshi. "Don't tell me that you're afraid that the fish will bite, I don't have any sharks, so don't worry, the only danger that you could experience are some koi nibbling on your skin." 

The short haired brunet narrowed his eyes skeptically. "You don't even have any koi fish." 

"I don't?" he asked in mock innocence while scratching the hairs on his chin. 

"Your hands are the only dangers that I might experience in the water." 

"Ah," He chuckled, "yeah, they have a mind of their own sometimes..." and winked which earned him a sound akin to a snort. 

The last article of clothing to disappear was his underwear. And Sousuke might deny it for all it was worth, but his partner shamelessly took a couple of sneak peaks. Besides it more or less encouraged Sousuke to rethink his offer, because the other's hands briefly fingered his own obi. 

Shunsui whistled on his fingers and made an elaborate gesture to absolutely no one on the roof, but his shout of, "Oi, come quick, Sousuke-kun's about to strip!" had his companion's head whip back to check if anyone was there. 

He could no longer keep his chuckles from escaping while Aizen sighed exasperatedly and slapped him on the thigh. It was funny enough to tease the other a little, and since Sousuke's reactions spurred him on, he acted as if the light slap had made him unexpectedly slip into the water, while all he did was dive down into the deep depths of the pond where he waited, watching the blurry vision of Sousuke peeking over the edge of the deck. And although he couldn't hear what the other said, he imagined his companion was getting a little worried. 

Though he swam back to the surface a little while after, because even though the Special Ops only shot into action at any noticeable signals of danger, it wasn't his intention to test their alertness either. 

A fierce glare was the face he was presented with and not one full of relief. 

"Worried?" 

The younger male stayed stubbornly quiet until Shunsui splashed the other in order to get his attention. "As I said before, your health is of utmost importance, Captain Commander, but I can't be held accountable for your foolish risks that endanger your life." 

Sousuke was probably one of the biggest risks he ever took to be fairly honest... 

He swam close to the edge of the deck, where Sousuke's feet were practically touching his chest while Shunsui could silently admire those bare legs from up close. "Ah, but you were worried about lil' old me." Scooping some water into the palm of his hand, he let the water droplets slither down the length of one of those long limbs. It was just fascinating how goosebumps covered the entire area immediately as Sousuke shifted lightly in response, trying to redirect his feet to the other side, away from him, though Shunsui didn't allow it. "Are you getting in now?" 

"I'm not getting naked." 

"How undignified!" 

Sousuke stared at him pointedly. 

Oh come on, they were in his backyard, they had all the privacy they needed. Were the Special Ops going to be a cockblocker or Sousuke's excuse? Because there was nothing that the other needed to be afraid of. 

"I mean it, I'm not getting naked." His insistence unfortunately only spurred on actual modesty for Sousuke, since the younger male closed the folds of his yukata, covering up that lovely skin. 

What a shame... 

"Just swim with the yukata." he suggested eagerly while slowly palming Sousuke's ankles. 

Which had the younger male arching an eyebrow in confusion. "No, I have already destroyed one of your kimono." Though when his hands inched up to about the other's calves and entrapped Sousuke's limbs in both of his hands, Sousuke warned, "Don't you dare." 

He granted the other a devious smirk, even allowed Sousuke to shift back just a little, before he tugged on Sousuke's legs, almost succeeding in dragging him off of the deck and into the water had Aizen not scrambled at the wood for purchase while yelling, "Kyouraku!" 

Shunsui chuckled at Sousuke's efforts to stay dry, and partially on the deck while his feet paddled furiously in the water in an attempt to presumably shake his hold off. He therefore redirected his grip on the younger male's limbs, to about Sousuke's knees, before giving a final tug. 

Aizen was swept under water in an instant when he lost his own grip on the deck with one of his hands and a loud intake of breath followed as soon as he surfaced, a stuttered, "C..cold..." and heated glance was thrown his way afterwards. 

Shunsui grinned wickedly back until a splash of water into his face diverted his gaze. 

"The yukata is completely ruined now..." 

He shrugged. "It's only fabric." 

Sousuke struggled out of the now heavy cloth while muttering, "Fabric I can't afford." 

"Should I help?" Shunsui offered and reached in the general direction of Sousuke's fundoshi under the water. All with good intentions though, it was better to take everything off after all... 

But when Sousuke's hand made a feigned movement of splashing water into his face again, Shunsui turned his head in reflex and held up his hands. "Alright! I'm only offering to help." 

The yukata was haphazardly wrung out mid air before thrown on the deck in order to dry. 

An aloof glance from his disgruntled companion, and a drawled, "You are a very persistent man, Captain Commander." was muttered in a heated breath. 

Aw...that was a compliment though. "I would have to be...as the Captain Commander." he grinned and Sousuke's facial features softened up a little to reveal some of his amusement as well. 

"Still adamant about getting me naked then?" 

"Only with permission though." 

"As a Captain Commander you don't need any permission, and certainly not mine." 

He thoroughly checked the younger male's sudden shift in a willingness to engage in his playful banter. The teasing glint in those dark eyes was almost challenging him. 

"If you are able to take off my fundoshi..." 

Aha, that sentence caught his attention immediately. "Then?" 

"Then I'll swim with you naked, if not, tough luck for you." 

"Mah...a rather meager reward." Although the other completely naked left open some options as well. 

"It's as good as any...take it or leave it." 

"Is only but a word." because Sousuke's consent was all he needed and he practically leaped for the younger brunet, creating a huge wave in the water. 

Sousuke's palm unfortunately slapped wetly unto his chest to hold him back. His companion had a fixation with touching a man's torso, since Sousuke's hands seemed to like roaming his upper body. 

"On a couple of conditions of course," 

Shunsui smirked and slowly inched up on Sousuke anyway, forcing the other to back up against one of the pillars of the wooden deck. "I recall you telling me that as a Captain Commander I have free reign." 

Sousuke protested with a, "Ah Ah." while trying to push him back. "No reiatsu for one." 

He entrapped Sousuke with both of his arms against the pillar in the water, forcing the younger male to put a bit more effort in trying to hold him back. "I don't need to use reiatsu, panties practically drop with a snap of my fingers." 

"Oh in that case," Aizen attempted to use pressure in order to fend him off, but realized soon enough that he couldn't rely on physical strength, so he instead cooed, "Distance, Kyouraku-san, since you only need to snap your fingers." 

If only it was that easy... 

He didn't relent his invasive approach though and was practically chest to chest with the younger male. The other brunet became rather quiet suddenly and a soft chuckle that sounded partially a bit nervous escaped Sousuke. Because he probably realized that it was futile to keep Shunsui at bay after arousing his interest. 

"Mhh?" he murmured knowingly as his partner struggled against his hold. 

With both hands busy though, he couldn't possibly take off Sousuke's fundoshi. He therefore decided to change his grip so he got both of Sousuke's wrists grasped in one hand. Only that indirectly gave his captive a temporary advantage to make another effort in getting loose. 

Shunsui's grasp slipped and even though he was fast to dive his free hand back into the water, Sousuke was somehow quicker to stop his course towards the pesky underwear. 

It was only because Sousuke could anticipate his actions as long as he actually saw Shunsui. Cutting off that vision was the best solution to gain victory and so he backed off willingly when he was shoved back by Sousuke. But with the hand that still had a good grip on Sousuke's wrist, he dragged the smaller brunet into the middle of the pond with him. Where there was nothing to block his reach to Sousuke's entire body, preferably his backside. He spun Sousuke around and molded himself to his partner's back while slinging his other arm around Sousuke's shoulder on the lookout for Aizen's still free arm. His intention was to get both of his wrists locked in one hold again. 

The water was deep and with nothing to cling unto, struggling against his embrace was getting quite futile as well. The other's paddling to stay afloat or his desperate attempt to support himself on Shunsui was presumably Sousuke's plan now. Their feet bumped into each other which was the perfect opportunity for Shunsui to lock his leg around Sousuke's, entrapping him completely. 

A frustrated, "Kyouraku!" was snapped at him when he couldn't seem to get free in any way possible. 

Having the other completely at his mercy, Shunsui only needed to manoeuvre those wrists into a single grip before he could refocus on getting that underwear off. He tugged at one of the cords, the wrong one though since it only seemed to tighten the fundoshi. And his course of action to remedy that mistake failed when his companion backed up on him forcefully. Shunsui didn't mind parking himself in the cleft of that ass, but not when Sousuke trashed around so carelessly. 

"Careful with the goods." he grunted while his pelvis pulled reflexively back for some damage control, because the constant movements against his lower regions had him at half mast and the slightest forceful bump could become painful quickly. 

At that point he decided to tear the underwear straight off which earned him a lot of vocal protest, including another frustrated growl of his name. He released his hold on his captive before waving the thorn cloth triumphantly around like a flag as soon as Sousuke turned around to face him. 

Too bad that his conquest wasn't as impressed as he was... 

"I won fair and square." 

"Mmhmm." was Sousuke's aloof response and then he simply swam back in the direction of the deck. 

That hot and cold attitude though... 

"Where are you going? Did you forget my prize?" 

"I swam with you didn't I? I never said how long I would skinny dip along side you." 

"Mah...party pooper." 

The short haired brunet glanced back at him, rolled his eyes petulantly, before hoisting himself out of the water. 

Shunsui's own eye feasted upon that wet skin and the way those muscles contracted nicely when Sousuke pushed himself out of the water. Also the way that ass was on full display for his viewing pleasure made him entirely forget about the other's promise. Because what a lovely ass it was... 

"You were moaning about flashing the world, but right now you're giving anyone that sees a perfect peep show." 

Not that he was complaining... 

Sousuke sat back on the deck and scooted far enough so his feet weren't dangling in the water anymore. The almost innocent remark of, "Cover me up?" temporarily left Shunsui still daydreaming about the younger male's body before the words fully got through to him. 

There it was again; going from ice cold to a burning hot flame. Quite the personality... and yet something drew him towards the other like a magnet... 

He was out of the water and on top of the other in a second, still supporting himself on hands and knees so there was actually no body contact between them yet. Water droplets dripped off of him and unto the one beneath him. His single eye roamed the track of those droplets hungrily, until at a certain angle his ponytail slipped off of his shoulder, almost slapping the younger one in the face. 

His straightened hair, no longer curly due to the water, was longer when it was wet and it had bunched up his hair tie to about the end of his ponytail, barely keeping his locks still together. It captured the focus of the male beneath him, since Sousuke set out to pull out the tie entirely. 

Hands then reached into his manes, trying to comb through it. 

He quite enjoyed it when someone played with his hair, it somehow reminded him of the sweet warmth that used to accompany Ju-chan's visits. Especially when he had his head in his angel's lap, smoking his pipe leisurely while his friend gave him simultaneously a scalp massage. 

Ah, those were the days... 

"It's so long." 

He looked back up at Sousuke's face as he was apparently estimating the length. 

"Yeah...Jushiro's longer though..." he trailed silently off, aware that it probably wasn't the best approach to continue talking or thinking about Ju-chan when he was about to get it on. Might even annoy his partner. 

Besides he didn't want the image of his best friend tainted in the first place, he best keep those memories apart from any fling. That had always been his motto at least...because it had always been just that; simple one nightstands. 

At his partner's noncommittal murmur, he realized it was time to focus on something else. And he did that by admiring the close up of Sousuke's face. Because this close he could see any imperfection on that otherwise flawless visage, as far as the teeny tiny little freckle above his right eyebrow could be even called that... He further contemplated the exact color of the other's eyes, as they currently weren't as dark as when the curl of Sousuke's infamous smirk appeared, making it practically obvious the younger male was planning something. The overall absence of any begrudging amusement softened up the younger male's chiseled features nicely. 

He drew even nearer, leaning on his elbows rather than on the palms of his hands and Sousuke's dark eyes suddenly caught his own single one. Their close proximity had the short haired brunet beneath him reaching up presumably to close their last centimeters of distance. Shunsui bypassed the beginnings of puckered lips smartly though by nosing into Sousuke's neck. 

It wasn't that he was saving his first kiss, because he actually had lost count of kiss number how many it would have been by now. Or better yet his count of partners that he locked lips with... The thing is, he rather avoided kissing when all he was looking for was a good lay. Call him a romantic sentimental schmuck, but a kiss was something incredibly personal and intimate; a token of love instead of lust. Granted he couldn't avoid the introduction of tongue now and then in his drunken nights, but while sober he tried to avoid all that. 

He opted for distributing kisses along his partner's sinewy body, since that was alright in the act of his lustful frenzy. Although the reminder of getting a mouthful of pond water played into the back of his mind and he was careful to avoid actually tasting that smooth skin. 

The soft press of his lips and his breath of warm air along his journey down Sousuke's chest still had his partner squirming deliciously. Palms came to rest softly on top of his shoulders, modestly without grabbing on to him, as if Sousuke wanted to respect their lack of actual intimacy. Though this was as intimate as it could get...he needed to get rid of those personal boundaries and just let himself enjoy it. 

Shunsui gave him that silent hint by palming Sousuke's hand on his right shoulder, enclosing the other's wrist warmly to encourage the touch. While his left hand journeyed down Sousuke's skin to join in on the path his lips had explored. He passed over stiff nipples and pecked the area around the nubs gently which had Sousuke reacting vigorously. The shifting and writhing underneath him had him chuckling in delight, because this was a good chance as any to scrutinize Sousuke's honest reception. 

A rather responsive twist of the other's body while he was kissing down Sousuke's ribs had him checking his partner with a quick glance. 

"Your hair tickles." 

He grinned. Well, his long hair did curtain the body beneath him. But as he repositioned his right hand into his hair to keep it back like a makeshift headband, Sousuke told him, "I mean your beard." 

Ah, yeah, that could be a little bit prickly... 

Sousuke reached for his face, rubbing along his scruff. The gentle pull that accompanied it, coaxed Shunsui to pull back up to face him. It was a smart move to try and recapture his lips again. And so he escaped the other's intention by palming Sousuke's wrist to guide his hand to their nether regions where it could be of better use. 

That same reluctance he had experienced with Sousuke on his futon momentarily halted his partner from taking a hold of his cock. As if something stopped him again from unfolding himself completely. Though that hesitant behavior only encouraged Shunsui to try and usher Sousuke in the right direction anyhow, the younger male's rising interest was all the validation he needed. 

It took a bit of nudging, sometimes literally as he nosed into the youngster's neck to mutter some encouraging words. But, it was his overall touch that melted Aizen enough to try and let go of the troubles that restricted him. His free hand that wasn't lightly coercing Sousuke's wrist, was rubbing and squeezing; exploring the other's body. 

Sure, there were still some limitations to the way Sousuke expressed himself, though that had more to do with embarrassment than actual uncomfortableness. In all fairness Sousuke was giving him a show by rubbing himself beneath Shunsui's hawk like gaze. Because even if it was a little awkward, since the youngster hardly dared to look him in the eye, the almost timid handjob was sexy in its own way. 

He was beginning to sweat, not only by the arousing display, but the parasol had been shoved aside and the sun's rays were harsh, mostly on Shunsui's back. It dried them both almost immediately. And speaking of dry skin, Shunsui decided to lube things up for the short haired brunet by repositioning himself so he was practically eye to eye with the younger one's erection. A little spit would definitely be appreciated. Or so he thought, apparently, that action had been a little too forward, because he almost got a black eye when Sousuke drew up one of his knees in an act to presumably cover himself up. 

"Things going a little too fast?" 

Shunsui searched the youngster's eyes for an indication of any distress, but all he could read off of that expression was a little uncertainty. 

"No..." 

He had no problem with patience...but, he wasn't looking to court Sousuke for a long-lasting affair either. It was all just fun, something Sousuke had to have at least experienced with Kisuke. Because those two had had something going on... 

"Then, just trust me." he smiled encouragingly while lightly coaxing the youngster to spread his legs a little so Shunsui had some room to move in between those thighs. He was initially only going to help the other in wetting the rub down, but he figured after the younger one's reaction that the least he could do was make it worth Sousuke's while. 

Pond water be dammend, it's not like Shinigami needed to be worried about contracting silly human deceases like salmonella. 

Besides it was adorable enough the way Sousuke couldn't decide whether to look him in the eye or avoid his gaze the nearer Shunsui reached the head of Sousuke's cock. And right before his lips made actual contact, his partner had his eyes closed already in anticipating bliss. The expressive way those features betrayed ecstasy wasn't only stimulating for the one beneath him though, he found it downright satisfying because it opened up Sousuke's true self. It made his partner look relaxed, not as held together as when Sousuke was trying to be someone he clearly wasn't. He seemed overall more at ease this way. Which was clearly felt in the tension of the thigh Shunsui supported himself on, it gradually relaxed as he enveloped the other's erection. 

He was that good after all. Breathing became a little more heavier from his partner and hips lifted enticingly, repeatedly to meet the downward motion of his mouth. Yep, he was doing a good job at easing the other brunet into it. 

His free hand that had been drawing circles along Sousuke's pelvis, moved over the youngster's hips down to caress the back of his thighs. As he went up and down the length, he tried to keep an eye on Sousuke's reactions. Their eyes caught and a moan of, "Kyouraku-san." followed immediately. 

Shunsui would have gladly liked to tell the other to leave the honorifics aside, but as he was a bit preoccupied it was hard to make that clear. Although hadn't he informed Sousuke about this already? And that fact indirectly confirmed that this wasn't exactly the first time that he and Sousuke ended up in such a situation. 

So much for his standards of having only one-nightstands... 

He didn't however linger too long on that thought before resuming his focus on showing some love to the one beneath him. 

And as he went back down, Sousuke's hips reflexively rose up again, rhythmically. Moans or mewls of his surname were practically a given by then, including Sousuke becoming a lot more touchy, seemingly abandoning those strict mannerisms as arousal took over the other's thought process entirely. Which was simply a pleasure to witness. 

Due to his vigorous head motions, his long hair, partially dried by then, suddenly curtained their view of each other. Hands then reached into his hair to try and keep it back and out of his vision. But when Sousuke's hand redirected to his sack a minute later, squeezing just lightly, Shunsui backed off. Since that was a good sign that Sousuke was nearing his euphoria. And he himself didn't want to be left dry when Sousuke's modesty decided to make a reappearance, because this time he was set on getting off together. 

He repositioned himself on top of the younger male, still in between the other's legs whilst full blown touching each other. Though he squeezed a hand in between them to take a hold of both of their cocks. His salvia served as a good lubricant when he rubbed himself against Sousuke's length. 

Their close proximity had him nuzzling back into Sousuke's neck and he took extra care of bumping aside the pesky collar to taste his skin. Which had the one beneath him gripping the wooden deck, making scrambling noises. Shunsui couldn't help but nip harder at that enthusiastic display and moved his hand simultaneously to the speed of his hips, thrusting rapidly against the younger male's rod. 

Grabbing just as wantonly at Sousuke's hip, he practically plastered Sousuke to the surface of the wood before aiming a little lower. Much of the repositioning unfortunately was halted from proceeding, because before his cock-head could pass Aizen's perineum, the youngster's hand swiftly covered up his ass, along with a demand of, "No penetration." 

It's not like Shunsui would enter without preparation...or was the younger male opposed to anal sex entirely? Now that would be disappointing... 

Whatever the case, he pulled the hand, that was blocking his reach completely, to push it out of the way, so he could thrust against Sousuke's cock instead. Or at least he tried, since the addition of precome made things a little more slippery and he was more or less rutting in the cleft of spread thighs and balls while Sousuke's shaft was rhythmically being rubbed between their bellies. 

The movements of his hips sped up fervently the second Sousuke's hands reached behind him to grasp at the slope of his back. That silent encouragement, though well silent...Sousuke wasn't particularly quiet in the slightest. Letting him know what he wanted, although the tight hold of the other to squash them even closer was one way that Sousuke declared his nearing need. 

And his partner was getting desperate to reach that pinnacle, since Sousuke was squirming again, turning his head in every direction and thus disconnecting Shunsui's intention of leaving a mark. Though it did get Sousuke close to getting that kiss he so determinedly sought after apparently. Almost though, because Shunsui was faster, he kept Sousuke's head still by pushing his forehead against Sousuke's. 

He looked into the dark eyes specifically to whisper a harsh, "Come." and the actual proof of that euphoria came in the form of a labored cry and shudders that wrecked the body of the one beneath him. Shunsui immediately buried his head back beneath the leather of the collar and nipped harder, enough to bruise while the speed of his pelvis practically humped Sousuke into the wooden deck. The hands at the slope of his back squeezed painfully, probably to return the favor of the way Sousuke's sensitive cock post orgasm was feeling, though it only fueled Shunsui's desire to come. 

A couple of hard thrusts and a hickey later, he finally reached his peak. 

He slowly rocked out the rest of his orgasm as he nursed the dark red bruise on Sousuke's neck with hot laps. 

Afterwards he slowly raised himself on his forearms to inspect his partner's state. Sousuke was lazily caressing through the mess on his stomach, looking thoroughly relaxed for once. When he chuckled though, the younger male's eyebrow raised in slight annoyance. 

"Tomorrow's headlines of the Seireitei; Aizen Sousuke, the Captain Commander's new toyboy." Shunsui gestured in amusement. 

Sousuke swatted at him with the hand that had just been mixing their cum. Yet, he did not even seem bothered in the slightest to look and see if anyone on his roof actually saw their intimate humping. 

Rolling off of his partner, he lounged back on the deck beside Sousuke while searching for his pipe, since he needed his nicotine after a good orgasm. And he unsympathetically ignored Sousuke's sideways glances at him, it was a routine, so he better get used to it. 

Since he was being ignored, the younger male bent over the edge of the deck in order to scoop out some water and clean off the stickiness. 

And Shunsui's eye was instantly drawn to that lovely ass again. "You don't like penetration?" he just had to know... 

The trickle of water stopped for a second and Sousuke glanced back at him. "I do." 

Well, there was some hope. At least a determination inside of Shunsui to actually solidify their one-nightstand, since it had been up until now a sort of foreplay. And that determination only went away with the act of full-blown sex. "But?" 

He lost his gaze though, Sousuke swiftly returned his attention to getting clean. 

"I don't normally do this." 

Shunsui gradually blew out his smoke, contemplating the exact meaning behind those words. 

"Being this promiscuous with a complete strang-" 

He couldn't help it, he burst out laughing in the midst of puffing his pipe and it regained Sousuke's focus, since the younger brunet looked back at him. "Sorry to burst your puritan bubble, but you've been pretty close with my dick." 

Oh that had those eyes darkening again, resentment almost swimming in those irises. 

"You know what I mean." 

Shunsui gave a non-committal shrug. "You've known me for a decade...at least, I'm hardly a stranger-" 

"Yes, as mere acquaintances." 

"Does there need to be more?" He gave a knowing look to make it somewhat clear that it never had been his intention to give off the vibe of them being anything else, because those were the troubles one-nightstands sometimes brought along as well... 

Sousuke stared hard at him as answer. An impenetrable gaze but it still somehow heavily showcased his disagreement. And, "I'm going to take a shower." was the only verbal response he got before Sousuke got up to presumably do that exactly. 

When the younger male decided to pick up the still not dry yukata, Shunsui stated, "You know what I'm wondering," because in all honesty he was. "what exactly were you thinking when you accepted being held hostage by a mere acquaintance then?" Aizen had looked at him in a certain way that day during his hearing; a certain wicked glance that he still hadn't figured out... 

The younger male stayed quiet though and simply threw the yukata his way which had Shunsui catching the garment in a reflex, lest the wet cloth doused his pipe. After that, Aizen disappeared into his estate. 

He shrugged at that returning cold brashness...guess it was that bipolar behavior, before focusing back on enjoying his pipe in blissful silence.


	7. Chapter 6

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> For Aizen's birthday I decided to update twice today!

**Chapter six**

Sousuke momentarily stopped drenching himself with the bucket full of water, he figured he should start focusing on actually washing himself instead of just sitting there on the stool, his mind wandering back towards Shunsui. 

Because it happened frequently now...and since when had he started seeing Kyouraku as Shunsui? 

The Captain Commander was taking over his thoughts. Not necessarily positive memories though, since the feeling of being treated like another notch in Shunsui’s futon was anything but pleasant. 

He should be the one seducing Kyouraku, he should be the one to make the other doubt himself, yet the older man’s advances were so straightforward and so determined that he couldn’t say anything than just let himself be swept away by the other. And that wasn’t the way his plan was supposed to be going...because granted the second Kyouraku had had sex with him, he was going to be shoved aside, like a conquered territory that wasn’t of any importance whatsoever anymore. 

Where did he go wrong or more like where had he lost control? Had his outright flirting made Shunsui view him as easy? Because that was certainly the way he was being treated...All it took were a few spicy words and he was practically powerless to the Captain Commander’s charms. 

Alright, Sousuke had to admit that Shunsui didn’t come on to him without knowing it was okay for him to do that. But, once he gave the, ‘okay sign’ the other took over entirely. And such advances were difficult to deny. Because he didn't mind his lovers taking control. 

Well, lovers...he shouldn’t exaggerate. There had only been one lover in the past. And that brought him to the next reason that stopped Sousuke from just letting Shunsui take him. 

Kisuke... 

No matter how badly he even wanted Shunsui, thoughts of Kisuke and their past relationship made him feel as if he betrayed the blond. He just couldn’t physically give himself over to another man when his heart was still smitten with another. 

He was in the midst of soaping himself up when the door of the washroom slid open and in walked the man that occupied half of his thoughts. 

“Good mo-rning,” Came the perky greeting in between a yawn. 

He saw Shunsui’s hand lazily scratching his stomach. The older male’s yukata was opened completely, freely showing off his body. 

“I’m using the washroom now.” 

The other gave him a thumbs up and just took a place on the stool beside him which had Sousuke silently staring at the older brunet. Kyouraku had no sense of modesty whatsoever. “I was planning on taking a bath.” 

A roguish grin along with a, “Oh, don’t let my presence stop you, you aren’t flaunting anything I haven’t seen before.” was thrown his way. 

“That is not the point, I’d like to have some privacy.” 

“You were an only child weren’t you?” 

What did that have to do with anything? Seriously, the older male was adamant and very intrusive overall. Personal space was not a term that could be found in the other’s dictionary that was for sure. 

When he told Kyouraku, the older man’s eyes crinkled in silent triumph as if that proved his point. “That explains your prudish mentality.” 

“That is not a logical validation whatsoever.” he was about to take a hold of the bucket to rinse himself off, so he could get out of the washroom and enjoy his bath after the other left for work, when Shunsui took it out of his hands. 

“It is.” Shunsui then set out to splash himself gradually, taking his time as if Sousuke wasn’t itching to wash away the soap that was beginning to prickle in some places. “I had a brother and we constantly walked in and out of each other’s rooms, nothing’s private then. You learn to share that way, sometimes a little too much.” The bucket was offered as an emphasis to his little background story which Sousuke gladly snatched out of the other’s hands. 

“Oh? And you think that’s valid proof of your liberal mindset? Alright maybe... you’re right about your part, incest was common in the elite for decades after all.” He heard a choked snort at that. 

“Oh come on, that’s bollocs...being married off to your third or fourth cousin, perhaps...but definitely not to your direct siblings. Besides it was done to keep the bloodlines pure, nothing more.” 

He stopped listening to Kyouraku, bent on not giving in to the desire of discussing something that in the end was just an excuse for the older male’s easygoing nature. He was about to get up and get his towel when he was startled by a hand that suddenly massaged down his back. 

“You forgot a spot.” 

He looked at Shunsui’s wide grin and knew where that appendage was setting its course off to, so before it could reach the destination of the swell of his ass, he grabbed a hold of that wandering limb. “Don’t you need to go to work?” 

A gentle smile, full of hope and desire was directed at anywhere but his face. “I’ve got some spare time. A couple of minutes is all I need.” 

“A couple of minutes? How disappointing, especially for a veteran such as yourself.” He quickly stood up after that and practically dragged his towel off of the rag. His words could just as much be interpreted as a challenge and handling an aroused Captain Commander would mean that he would end up in a very intimate position, one way or another. The fluffy cotton was just as quickly wrapped around his waist, protecting him from the sex fiend before he rushed out of the washroom. 

-0- 

Sousuke was already done with breakfast before Kyouraku finally exited out of the washroom, his towel barely clung to his hips, threatening to slip down any minute. At least he was covered up somewhat. “You definitely made use of your spare time.” he remarked. 

Because that was more than just some spare time. It had taken ages...the older male had probably been very busy with taking care of a certain problem. 

Shunsui took an apple out of the bowl of fruit on the table and bit into it. The crunch that accompanied that bite actually made him want a piece of that fruit as well. “I took liberal use of the bath you prepared.” 

He blatantly stared at how the other stretched casually, all the while making remarks of how relaxing his bath had been...and that towel inched down a couple of centimeters... which was when Sousuke decided to redirect his gaze anywhere but on the captain in front of him. 

“I don’t know how you made it to the spot of Captain Commander.” Really...it was a complete mystery to him, the less you actually accomplished in the Gotei 13, the better apparently. Hard work and actual accomplishments to improve society were looked down upon entirely. 

“Ouch, so feisty today...I think it’s about time to let you out again.” 

His voice sounded somewhat distant at the end of his sentence, so Sousuke checked to see Kyouraku swinging the towel in the direction of somewhere, presumably the laundry basket. Buck naked as the other suddenly was, Sousuke turned his attention just as fast back towards the outside. 

There was nothing really appealing about the other male... 

Now that was a big lie. The twinkling eyes...eye gave the older one a permanent suave look. It really wasn’t difficult to like Kyouraku at first glance, since his appearance alone emanated reliability. Well, first appearance, you couldn’t look twice though, since that friendly smile could transform quickly into a come hither smirk. 

Though that’s enough about Kyouraku’s general method in which he expressed himself. But should he say even more? The other male was tall, something he never really particularly cared much about, but it was somehow because the other was those couple of centimeters taller, that he unconsciously backed down easily. He was normally used to having an advantage in height over others... Perhaps it was the dent in his own superiority complex that made him view Shunsui as someone special. He wasn’t effeminate in any way, but having almost no body hair and than to be partnered with someone that had a liberal amount of it...it just accentuated their differences. 

It naturally affected his interest in Kyouraku, the older one was almost the definition of an Alpha male- 

Okay, time to stop that train of thought. Speaking in Hollow terms heavily betrayed that he was too far off in his desires and he couldn't use the excuse of the Hogyoku clouding his senses anymore. 

“Accompany me to work.” 

He looked at Shunsui, noting that he was dressed fully again in his uniform. 

“Why?” 

To just sit around and give off the impression that he was indeed the Captain Commander’s toyboy? 

“There’s an initiation happening; a Captain promotion so there will likely be a celebratory feast going on afterwards.” 

“Ah yes...And I’ll come in handy to serve drinks again?” the older male shrugged nonchalantly. “Five minutes.” he told Kyouraku before he quickly got up to change out of his towel as well. 

-0- 

The walk to the first division was...eventful to say the least. Of course he had been stared at the last time he accompanied the Captain Commander, but after his little exploration on the lookout for some food, it felt as if a spotlight was constantly highlighting him from the rest of the populace. 

He couldn’t really determine what was so suspicious or otherwise different about his behaviour, because he behaved as he should. He walked a little behind the Captain Commander’s steps, a respect that was ingrained into any Shinigami cadet early on. And yet...all attention was on him. 

“...What do you think?” 

Kyouraku had stopped suddenly in his tracks. He had been talking the entire time along their way, but he hadn’t really focused on the older man’s nonsense. It’s not like he was preoccupied by the uncomfortable vibe of the population around him... 

Oh, but he was. He was becoming very much aware of his surroundings. Something he never really had any trouble with, normally... The absence of the Hogyoku made him so self-aware it was becoming ridiculous. The orb had done nothing but create trouble for him, starting with Kisuke. 

“Mhh?” 

Kyouraku pointed at something, “How about an omelet before we start the day?” and he recognised the stall of food immediately. 

The stall owner’s voice that had been so full of malice the last time Sousuke stopped at it, called them over happily this time. 

Sousuke smiled, “I’m certainly not opposed to an omelet.” he had just eaten breakfast actually, but for the sake of being able to mock the shopkeeper, he could make some room for another meal. Another that is. 

Sousuke stepped closer to the Captain Commander, practically shoulder to shoulder as Kyouraku was ogling the preparations of a customer’s meal hungrily. He then laid his hand on the older male’s shoulder, smiled directly at the shopkeeper before remarking out loud, so the owner of the stall recognised the sort of influence he had on the Captain Commander, “I find that there’s something lacking about this...place.” 

Shunsui looked at him and Sousuke saw the shopkeeper’s facial expression change subtly from friendly to inhospitable the second the Captain Commander turned away from him. 

“But don’t take my word for it...I’m just a criminal...I guess that’s why I feel so unwelcome here.” He couldn’t stop his snark, the shopkeeper had it coming. “Could you recommend me any place?” he asked the man that had trouble burning his omelettes when all of his anger suddenly influenced his baking. 

Shunsui though seemed genuinely confused about his speech. 

“I know,” he said before the shopkeeper could actually answer him. “the Rukongai, perhaps?” He then turned to face Shunsui again and told him in a voice full of mock innocence, “Apparently, that area services people like me...or so I’ve been told...” 

“Alright, alright...” Shunsui steered him with a hand on the small of his back away from the stall. “Just tell me that you don’t feel like having omelettes, no need to make a spectacle out of it.” 

“Mmhmm.” Though he made sure to grace the shopkeeper with a last glance full of gleeful vengeance. 

A middle finger is what he received as answer... which was childish and not worth any response back. 

They stopped at a different stall and although Sousuke was sure that their feigned hospitality towards him was just that, he gave the stall the benefit of the doubt. No need to make it into another scene either. 

When they finally arrived at the first division it was two o’clock in the afternoon already...He felt ashamed for the Captain Commander, yet Shunsui himself acted as if he just moved mountains. That expression remained untroubled; full of content. 

“Ah my sweetest niece of the known worlds, how are you doing on this lovely day?” 

Two things managed to surprise him in that instant. The first of it being that Nanao Ise was Shunsui’s niece and the second that aforementioned niece was practically harassed with a slap on the ass. 

He was literally stunned into silence. 

“You’re late!” 

That was the understatement of the day. 

Kyouraku didn’t even seem to have heard that phrase and took a place at his desk. But not to start catching up on his backlog...no, to lounge in his chair and pour himself a cup of sake as if he was seated at the nearest bar. 

He was just...unbelievable. Although he shouldn't be so shocked, this was the Kyouraku that everybody knew. Sousuke had just come to know the introduction of a different Kyouraku now and then. 

There was more to that tomfoolery, so much more. The somber disposition he had had encountered once or the strategic commander during the war with the Quincies were other sides to the older male altogether. It just enhanced the fact that in the days that he lived with Shunsui, he hadn’t actually made any effort to actually get to know the man. 

Although that seemed a lot more difficult than he initially thought, especially because the other was so controlling and dominant. Almost as if he was protecting himself. 

“Don’t just stand there, come here.” Shunsui’s statement brought his niece’s rambling over unfinished work to an abrupt halt and she was seemingly suddenly made aware of his presence. 

He awkwardly approached the Captain Commander, not really sure about what the older male expected from him. Not to mention Nanao’s startled expression... she kept looking at him for a while, as if she was trying to decipher him before she rushed out, presumably to her own office. 

“Have a drink, it will calm your nerves.” 

He swatted the offered drink away, making the other almost spill the drink. And Kyouraku retracted his hand immediately to take a sip of the cup. Because just a single drop being spilled would probably have been a disaster... 

“She’s your niece? I thought you were the only living Kyouraku?” 

“I am.” Shunsui muffled in between slurps of his drink. “She’s technically not considered a Kyouraku.” 

He raised a brow in curiosity, but he only received a dismissive wave and a mumbled, “It’s a long story...” 

It’s not like he didn’t have any time, considering Kyouraku’s natural procrastination. But it was probably a sensitive matter, and his unenthusiastic gesture was therefore a silent command to back off. 

The creaking of the chair Shunsui occupied made him glance back at him only to be blessed with the sight of the Captain Commander leaning back in his chair completely, hands crossed behind his head in a comfortable position to continue his lazing around. 

Why had he come along exactly? Because the initiation wasn't due for a couple of hours, so that meant the party wasn’t happening anytime soon either. 

Shunsui graced him with a half lidded eye and a nudge in the direction of his desk. 

What was he thinking about this time? Certainly he didn’t think that Sousuke would be disappearing underneath the desk to fulfil his desires on demand. He hadn't come along to please the Captain Commander at the snap of his fingers. Absolutely not. 

“You could sort some files or read through a couple of them that don’t require my signature.” 

“Excuse me?” Since when did he accept being made the Captain Commander’s office slave? “Do I need to remind you that I’m exempt from doing any work in the Gotei 13?” 

“Those are unimportant files, Sousuke, I certainly wouldn’t let you go through top secret documents, mmh.” The smirk in the older male’s voice was practically underlining his silly thought process apparently. And the way the other propped his feet up on the desk afterwards was a downright display to show off the luxurious way he could slack off. 

Exactly...show off. 

He opened one of the files, better to just keep himself busy, being useful would pass the time at a faster pace anyways. But he wasn’t even fully through the first few paragraphs or he had had reread those sections for over a hundred times. The way Shunsui’s stare practically crept underneath his kimono was just very distracting. The other didn’t even need to do anything, a simple glance was enough. 

It’s probably the reason why his niece had an office to herself, because the Captain Commander’s hungry gazes had most likely bothered her to no ends. 

“You do that to your niece as well?” 

“Mhh?” 

“Portraying the definition of a pervert or an overall creep.” 

Shunsui chuckled and his eye glanced at him fully, “What?” 

“You’re staring at me constantly...it keeps me from my work.” 

“Excuses, excuses, I’m resting my eyes, lovely. Getting me to stare at you right now would require a lot of effort from your side.” 

“Oh really?” 

“For starters, you would have to be wearing something sexy, something that accentuates your qualities. I suggest a light yukata that has either a high slit to showcase your nicely toned legs or such a light fabric that it’s possible to see right through it. Right now though, you’re completely modestly covered up, not to mention I’m at work. I don’t mix business with pleasure.” 

Well, that offended him. His qualities extended to more than just his appearance! 

“You working? My ass...” 

The sound of the chair and the Captain Commander’s sudden ramrod straight position slightly startled him. 

“You’ve got my attention now,” He had no clue whatsoever what he was talking about, although the next words made him figure that out fast. “Yeah, your ass?” 

He sighed exasperatedly before taking a couple of the documents and seating himself on one of the chairs that were positioned furthest from Shunsui’s desk as said man laughed heartily at his frustration. That high libido was exhausting sometimes... 

Somehow he was able to focus on the papers and completely ignore the presence of the slouching Captain Commander. It’s only when **he** walked in that his focus was forcefully torn away from the documents. 

Kisuke was peculiarly dressed in regular Shinigami garbs. Which was odd, since he was normally banned just like Sousuke himself was, from regaining a position in the Gotei 13. 

“Take a seat, Kisuke-kun.” Shunsui called out from his postion on his chair while motioning to the one that lay stationed in front of the desk. 

Kisuke followed Shunsui’s suggestion, though on his way to his seat, the blond looked his way. His face was a blank mask, but Kisuke’s rigid shoulders somehow betrayed the uncomfortable vibe he got at seeing Sousuke. 

“Ready for the big day?” 

When Kisuke’s back was fully turned to him, muscles seemed to relax somewhat to try and uphold a tense free atmosphere. “Yeah...definitely.” 

Sousuke feigned reading through the documents from then on, though he only had his eyes on the two that were seated at the Captain Commander’s desk. He was anticipating the words that were no doubt going to confirm Kisuke’s visit soon. Because if Kisuke was the one to regain his position...Shunsui was going to have to explain the indirect discrimination. The blond was pardoned for the Hollowfication incident...thanks to him, since he confessed to the fact that he framed Kisuke. But that didn’t mean that the other was guilt free. Not to mention all of those years he operated behind Soul Society’s back, sometimes completely against the system. 

Kyouraku offered a cup from his infamous tray of liquor to which the blond denied a drink. 

He didn’t know why his overall mindset seemed to anticipate seeing Kisuke again every time, yet when he finally arrived, the only strong emotion going through him was nothing more than dislike. Well, dual feelings to be exact; he still loved Kisuke, but he hated him as well. If he could frame him again, he would do it in a minute. 

His sharp and suspicious look fixated on them might be what drew their attention to him anyhow now. 

“I don’t think that report is going to finish itself.” 

Sousuke didn’t answer Shunsui’s statement, the older male should be happy that he was so compliant and helpful to even busy himself with the other’s paperwork. Closing the map that contained the files he’d been skimming over, Sousuke made his way to Shunsui’s mahogany desk. 

He graced Kisuke with a smile, even though the corners of his mouth ached to fall down in a hard firm expression and he asked, “You’re going to be reinstated as a captain?” 

Better to be straight forward because both of them were dancing around the topic by holding small talk, as if they were carefully dancing around him. Afraid that he’d find out, although if he were to wait around drinks at the little feast, granted he would come to know anyways. 

The blond glanced just briefly at him, before his focus went completely back -and safely- to the Captain Commander. “I was offered back my old post.” 

“Mhh...” 

“Mayuri is too busy with his cosmetic surgery clinic.” Shunsui explained. 

It felt good to be standing above them, this way he could ignore the acceleration in his heartbeat at being this close to the one he wanted. Kisuke was disrespectfully avoiding his gaze and the difference in height gave him a superior feeling, calming his adrenaline rush. 

“Well, that brings back memories...” 

Kisuke’s eyes did connect with him after that, but just as swiftly before addressing him nonchalantly. “I didn’t know that you’d be here.” 

“Sousuke’s going to wait drinks at the after party.” 

He didn’t know if Kyouraku was trying to play as mediator since Sousuke would have rather told Kisuke himself. 

“Oh, that’s really not needed.” 

Not needed? He was absolutely not going to be shoved aside. He hadn’t specifically agreed to do the job with the thought of Kisuke in the back of his mind. Not this time at least. 

“There’s a feast at the Shihoin estate...we’re moving in together, so it will be a double celebration.” 

The drum of his accelerated heartbeat seemed to skip a couple of beats at that. Because that was certainly not something he had been expecting. And it’s then that he needed to get out of the room, before he did something that would complicate matters with Shunsui. 

He just got out, without a word or a glance at either of them. 

Of course he had known of Kisuke’s relationship with the Shihoin heiress. It’s just that the actual validation of them dating was harder to accept than when the two kept their liaison private. It wasn’t them making it official that bothered him, but Kisuke declaring his love for her. 

He sat down on the first step that lead to the courtyard of the first division, the same place he had previously occupied when he was confronted about Kisuke and her. 

Why did it have to hurt so much? 

Shinigami of the first division were practicing a little further away, sparring while others either encouraged or discouraged the sparring duo. But even if distraction was provided, his presence never went unnoticed. Even while he was just minding his own business. 

He ignored the whispers and the not so subtle indications in his direction by setting out to explore the rest of the division. Actually, he sought an excuse to slip into one room by accident. A dressing room to be exact, one that he himself had already been invited to when he was appointed vice-captain and captain. 

The place was empty now, but Kisuke’s hoari already hung off of a pedestal. It’s not like he was going to grab the cloth and hold it closely as if it still had any semblance of Kisuke clinging on to it. Especially not when the garb was handed down from captain to captain... If that were to be the case, the fifth division’s hoari was probably burned down by Shinji, maybe even used for some weird voodoo ritual knowing the creepy blond... 

Anyways... 

He still couldn’t stop himself from running a hand over the kanji of the 12th division on the back of the coat. Because those were memories they shared together, not the material itself, but the meaning behind it. They had been so close in that time to finish the orb...so close... 

Though Kisuke’s promotion in the past had unfortunately also lead to Sousuke taking drastic measurements against the blond. It’s not like he had deliberately framed Kisuke...the blond had had it coming. If only he had stayed faithful, then Sousuke wouldn’t have had to take such drastic measures, so...in the end there was just one person to blame for it all. He had warned Kisuke that he would regret it and yet...the other hadn’t listened... 

Oh how does the saying go again? What comes around, goes around... 

Sousuke looked in the mirror that stood in front of the pedestal, and through the reflective glass he could see the kanji of the first division on the wall. 

One thing he was sure of was that he wasn’t going to allow Shunsui to screw it up like that. But he was going to have to step up his game for that, since he hadn’t really gotten close to the Captain Commander yet, except for literally ending up under him or on top of him. It’s a bond that he needed with him, based off of real feelings and not just lust. If he wanted any chance of getting that key, he better start showing some interest in the older man. 

-0- 

Kisuke Urahara stood proud, self-assured and confident in front of him, overall emanating so much more self-esteem than the first time the blond was promoted to captain. Shunsui found it a delight to see the other this way, it’s as if he finally accepted and believed in himself. 

Even the slight teasing of his fellow captains about his now official relationship with the bombshell Yoruichi, the blond held himself together, shoulders straight and chest puffed out. 

Before the blond could escape without Shunsui being able to give him a few last encouraging words, he ushered the young man aside to give his usual advice. Although in comparison to a decade ago, Kisuke actually really didn’t need that anymore. 

“I’ll be seeing you around more often now, so this isn’t exactly the last you see of me.” The younger male snickered after his personal speech. 

“I know, I’m not going to go to your celebratory feast in the Shihoin estate though, so I thought I better tell you now.” 

“You’re welcome, actually as the Captain Commander your presence is a priority.” 

Priority or not, Sousuke wouldn’t really appreciate him visiting Kisuke. He really didn’t know what the deal was between the two of them, but the tension wafting off of them both in his office was becoming more than simple rivalry or a personal grudge regarding past events. Sousuke had even completely disappeared while the younger brunet could have just finished his work in his office instead. At the other’s obvious absence, he thought it to be best to check up on him. He was after all responsible for any tumult Sousuke caused. 

“I still have some work to do...but, you owe me a drink.” he told the blond, whom chuckled briefly in answer, probably regretting the fact that he insisted on his presence, because treating another or spending money in general wasn’t exactly the blond’s forte. 

And so he went back to his estate right after the official event, a major change from his usual habit of accepting invites to a party. Because you know, celebrations equaled booze. 

He hadn’t really expected too much when coming home, except maybe be presented with a mopey brunet, but he was pleasantly surprised when a bottle of liquor lay on the table, two cups beside it and a candle burning as some sort of mood setter. 

Maybe he was wrong, maybe Kisuke’s presence somehow had a positive effect on his partner. 

Sousuke was sitting at the low table on a cushion, stack of cards in his hands as he motioned to Shunsui to take a seat opposite him. “I know that you love to play games, at least when in combat, so I figured why not surprise you.” 

“Well, you can never go wrong with some liquor and amusement.” 

“Are you familiar with poker?” 

He grinned. “Yeah.” 

Something he picked up in the human world, the same for his liquor. On his trips he always imported the best brands with a high percentage, so he could feel the burn of the alcohol. He always came home, smuggling a lot of foreign brands. 

“So, poker and drinking?” he sat down in front of his companion, sideways though, so he could stretch out his legs comfortably. “What are we playing for exactly?” 

Sousuke began shuffling the cards, but even busy with two hands, the younger male instantly snatched away Shunsui’s cup of brandy when he was about to take a sip. “The loser has to drink a shot and answer a personal question.” 

He snorted, slightly disappointed that he couldn’t drink in between the game. What was the point of winning then? Except to avoid those personal questions... 

Because, exactly how personal could they get when Sousuke was the one asking them? Not that Shunsui necessarily had any big secrets. 

“You sure about playing a drinking game with me? You’re gonna get shwasted, lovely, because my tolerance in alcohol can’t possibly be beaten.” 

Especially since Sousuke had put the cognac out. The drink had 40% alchohol in it, meaning that someone like the brunet in front of him wouldn’t be able to walk straight after a couple of shots. It was the kind of liquor that normally needed to be savoured. For a full-blown drinking game granted you had have some experience in drinking it. 

But Aizen could read, he had seen the numbers that announced its percentage, but knowing the other’s high self worth, losing was not on the young man’s mind. 

“There are a lot of things that you don’t know about me yet, maybe I can drink you under the table.” The brunet gave him a coy look while it resembled rather a sly glance than a modest brag. 

Five cards were put in the center of the table, three of them facing up, while two of them laid face down. 

He laughed; he’d like to see the outcome of Sousuke’s brag, since many thought and have tried that particular statement before. And yet it all ended the same. 

Two cards were slid over to him while his companion took two off of the stack of shuffled cards. 

“Alright, here we go.” 

Favour wasn’t exactly in his hands with his one pair but as it was only the beginning, they both continued the round. 

The next card was revealed and it didn’t aid Shunsui in the slightest because he was still stuck with his one pair, consisting of two fours, while higher cards laid on the table as well. Sousuke would have to only exceed his pair to win the game. Still, Shunsui went on, but the last card didn’t have any positive effect on his outcome. 

Sousuke won the first round and that meant Shunsui could drink and had to answer a question. 

He savoured his small cup of brandy while Sousuke smiled his way. 

“You said you only had one brother, your niece is presumably his daughter then.” 

Too bad the cup was empty so quickly...“Yeah.” 

“Did you-” 

“Ah, ah,” he tutted, while still looking dismayed at his empty glass. “just one question.” 

“That wasn’t a question.” 

He shrugged, “You asked for my confirmation.” and reached out to collect the cards from the table. 

Though Sousuke was quick to grab the cards from under his nose. “I did not, you did not give me any time to even get to the point of me asking you a question.” 

“Should have been more straightforward then, sweetheart.” The younger brunet’s eyes almost spit fire at that. “Alright, I’ll drink a second time as a punishment and you get a second question.” 

“First question!” But as he took a hold of the bottle of liquor, Sousuke put the bottle far out of his reach. “Forget it, you’re cheating in order to drink.” 

“Me cheating? You’re the one that tried to cheat the rules.” he chuckled amusedly while Sousuke glared his way and shuffled the cards furiously. The two cards he had to have in hand were practically thrown Shunsui’s way, which made him snicker even more. 

The younger one was so...touchy when something didn't go his way. 

Second round began good, the combination of numbers guaranteed a three of a kind at least, but the chances of him getting a flush were even higher when three hearts laid already out while he had one in his hand. The fourth card was revealed and while Aizen’s smirk spelled his triumph, Shunsui decided to go on either way, since he wasn’t going to be fooled by that ever present poker face. 

Last reveal confirmed his flush, though unfortunately Aizen didn’t have a mere three of a kind, but a full house instead. 

In other words; he got his drink anyways, and Aizen his question. 

“My guess is, and this is me just taking a gander at her history and **not** a question;” Sousuke told him firmly as Shunsui nodded mindlessly after a big gulp of his cognac. “Your niece’s mother was most likely the ‘problem’ why she wasn’t allowed to be named a Kyouraku, and for my question; did she belong to a family that wasn’t nobility?” 

“Yeah...kind of.” 

The other made a motion to go on. 

Shunsui shrugged his shoulders. “I gave you an answer.” 

“Oh come on, you are not playing fair! You need to give me more than a standard yes or no answer.” 

Nanao was born in a Shinto priest family clan, strictly matrilineal, so she was forced to inherit the Ise family name in order to carry on the lineage. Of course, the known Ise family curse bestowed upon males was also the reason why his pesky older brother, even after marriage continued living in the Kyouraku estate, while his lovely wife lived in the shrine. It was in no way, shape or form related to Nanao being banned or shunned from the Kyouraku clan. 

But; “The question needs to pertain to me, if you want information about my niece, you’ll need to ask her personally.” 

A jaded, “Alright.” was all he received from his companion, along with a demanding, “You deal this time.” 

As if that would make a difference...but he complied either way. 

He was stuck with a three of a kind before the last card could even be revealed, so he decided not to go on with that combination. Aizen could have easily had a full house again, because the cards on the table were a true give away. He therefore folded, but the brunet in front of him reached over to turn his cards and check the combination anyways. 

“You’re cheating again, you’re deliberately losing so you can take a drink.” the younger one showed his own cards: Sousuke didn’t even have a pair, besides the one that laid out on the table already. 

“It’s a gamble,” besides if they were truly following the rules, “If I fold, you’re not allowed to look into my cards.” 

“That’s not the point, you’re not even trying.” Instead of hiding the bottle of cognac, like Shunsui thought Sousuke would do in order to punish him, the other male voluntarily poured him his shot, although it was done with the greatest reluctance. 

He grabbed his shot, noting that the one opposite him seemed to be getting more annoyed by the minute. 

It did need to stay entertaining though, maybe upping the challenge would make him a little more interested in Sousuke’s game. 

“To be fair, you’re not really giving me a reason to beat you, how about we raise the stakes.” 

“What do you suggest?” 

He smirked, “Strip poker.” 

The younger one’s head nodded slightly in a non-committal manner as if he knew that Shunsui would make that sort of suggestion. 

“The loser has to drink, answer a question,” because the questioning seemed to be entertaining in Sousuke’s eyes, “and strip off a piece of clothing.” He drank his shot, took out the hair pins that belonged to Nanao’s mother before telling the other male to shoot his query. 

“Articles of clothing? That includes accessories?” before he could even murmur in agreement, Sousuke held out a pointed finger to warn, “ **Not** my question, by the way.” 

He chuckled and nodded in agreement. Well, he had to give him something. 

“It’s not a secret that the hairpins and the kimono you drape over your shoulders have a very special meaning for you. So tell me, why do you hold it so dearly to you?” 

That seemed a fair enough question. He glanced briefly at the drawer where he stored the folded silk material and normally the pins as well. 

“They belonged to my brother’s wife, I alway held a deep infatuation for her, She was a sweet woman with certain principles; she held on to her beliefs and rituals of her clan, even after her marriage, maybe that’s why I adored her so much.” although his respect began as a harmless crush, so her strict principles of living separated from his brother was more of a jealous delight. Not that he would have ever came in between them, just like he would never come in between Ju-chan and his woman. 

The items were like a last hold on to her, the only things he was allowed to freely cherish. Sometimes he felt like wearing both, sometimes only one of the items... 

He looked back at Aizen whom looked satisfied with the response and was already shuffling the cards again. 

Shunsui won the next round, easily and without even trying, so he had a strong feeling that the younger male’s fold was a bluff, just to keep the game diverse. He poured the younger a cup as Sousuke undid his obi. 

“You said accessories counted as articles of clothing as well.” was said the minute he glanced at Sousuke’s action. 

“Yeah.” he murmured agreeably, gaining a little more interest at the loosened material that was showing pieces of skin with the slightest of movements. 

But what would he like to know about him, without it turning into an interrogation about Sousuke’s past deeds, because that was sure to turn the game completely downhill. “What do you think of me?” It was something he was more or less interested in knowing, not that he was entirely convinced that Sousuke would grant him a truthful answer. 

The younger one took a sip of his shot, scrunched up his face in displeasure. “Strong.” 

He chuckled. Well, 40% alcohol, what did he expect? 

“My honest thoughts about you, before I got to know you better, was probably the stereotypical image of you being a big flirt. Which isn’t entirely made up, but,” he took another little sip, clearly not used to the taste. But those teeny tiny samples only made it worse for a beginner like him. “I think if you were to truly devote yourself to someone, you could be quite loyal.” 

He smiled lightly. 

There was no doubt about that; his partner just had to be worth it, he wouldn’t settle for anything less than someone he truly would do anything for. He was looking for **the one** , not someone he just chose to spend his time with until another came along. 

He shuffled the cards, which seemed to be a dead give away that he would put out bad cards and lose for some reason, since he lost to Sousuke, whom had the highest number. 

His shot was gone in a matter of a single gulp, his hoari was shoved to the side as he simultaneously answered Sousuke’s, “Was there ever someone in your life that you truly loved with all of your heart?” 

“Yes, I still do, they unfortunately didn’t reciprocate my love.” Which was of course the only response the younger male would get, since whom that person was, would obviously be asked next time. And there was a definite curious desire to know whom that certain someone was: Aizen was therefore almost certain of his victory the next two rounds, proudly showing his combinations, even though Shunsui beat him twice in a row anyways. 

The shots were swallowed with a grimace and a cough or two while the part where he had to strip something was done in an almost enticing way. The younger male stood up, and turned around, back facing Shunsui to take his underwear off underneath the kimono he was wearing. Taking off his undershirt involved freeing his left arm of both of his sleeves (kimono and undershirt) before he covered himself up again to do the same with his right arm. The fundoshi on the other hand was just swiftly dropped to slide down his legs, before it was almost teasingly kicked in his direction. 

Enticing and considering Aizen’s almost easygoing nature regarding undressing, for sure he was getting a little light headed from his couple of shots. 

Shunsui’s questions were not entirely personal, because the undressing that accompanied his victory, held his priority. So, ‘Are you content living with me?’ and, ‘Would you consider staying with me after the designated months that force you to switch caretakers again?’ received fairly truthful sounding confession of, ‘I can enjoy my freedom, better than in Muken or with Kisuke.’ and, ‘Maybe, I don't think anyone has ever treated me this fair or will for that matter, after all I’ve done.’ 

The latest response was one that he appreciated. He had become somewhat used to Aizen’s presence; someone that was waiting for him at home. If the younger male had to be transferred to another caretaker again, his estate would be quiet and desolate, making him less likely to withstand offers to go out drinking. He was unconsciously actually living a healthier lifestyle. 

When Sousuke beat him afterwards, the expected, “Who was your unreciprocated love?” followed naturally. 

He took his shot before answering with an almost bitter, “Jushiro.” 

The younger male nodded in affirmation, clearly already having known that answer beforehand. 

He disposed of his kosode with a natural flair, not minding the reveal of his upper body in the slightest. -No shitagi underneath this time. 

But the almost personal and direct query, sparked a curiosity for Shunsui in Aizen’s love life as well. 

He didn’t know if the question of, “What’s the deal with you and Kisuke?” was a bridge too far for his companion or if it was the fact that Aizen would be stripped nude, since besides the kimono, he was completely naked underneath. 

“Now that you brought up Kisuke, there’s still a couple of things that I would like to tell you about him.” 

It certainly wasn’t the shot of liquor, because it became apparently a lot easier for the younger male to down it, further into their game. 

“I don’t think it’s fair that Kisuke is allowed to be reinstated as a captain, while he was just as much to blame for the concept of the Hogyoku, as I was.” 

The past deeds could not be avoided throughout that confession though, it was sad that their game had to turn that direction. Because it was just about to become exciting. “It’s not the creation itself that was deemed to be a violation of the laws, the manner in which the object was utilised was the biggest infringement; Hollowfication of fellow captains of the Gotei 13 plus the destruction of innocent Souls.” 

“You should look at the origins, not the end result. The casualties or the...unfortunate turn of events for the...Vizards was the cause of something; without the Hogyoku that wouldn’t have been possible. The creation of the object itself should have been the true responsibility for that whole ordeal, and thus should have been sanctioned. I'm not the only one who should have been corrected for that, but Kisuke as well.” 

Kisuke had undergone his penalty for that already by being banned from Soul Society for decades. “In all honesty he has done his time, but he shouldn’t be blamed as the head creator of the orb.” 

“No?” The brunet chuckled in a resentful manner, while Shunsui eyed the younger male’s grab for another shot with a raised eyebrow. 

That wasn’t counted as cheating? 

Though something told him the game was already over. 

“We created the Hogyoku together. Do you honestly belief that he just came up with the same idea as me sometime after I had envisioned it’s concept?” 

Well, who wouldn’t? Copyright wasn’t and still isn’t exactly as established as in the real world. 

“It was our project, we worked on it together while we were mere students.” 

That still didn’t warrant Kisuke the justice of, ‘ An eye for an eye’. Killing and torturing was vastly different than being the creator of said object that was responsible for those crimes. 

“But, was he directly involved in the Hollowfication incident?” 

The younger brunet poured himself another shot. “Yes!” 

Shunsui calmly took out his hair tie, realising that the path their conversation had taken wouldn’t be able to be turned around again. The anger expressed in the other’s tone was just pure animosity. 

“I just don’t understand that he can run away unscarred, everyone thinks he’s such an angel wile he had done nothing more than betray me, time and time again!” 

“You blamed him in the end, so does that not qualify as justice in your eyes?” Kisuke hardly came out of the whole ordeal, as Sousuke called it, unscarred. 

“I had to! We were together for a long time, I thought he loved me until I found **her** in our bed.” 

“He cheated on you?” 

“He did, and not once. He even visited the whores in the Inuzuri.” 

He raised a brow at that, sure Shunsui hadn't thought Kisuke to be entirely innocent, but the blond cheating on a lover was actually something he wouldn't have envisioned Kisuke doing. 

“Yes, the pleasure district was his favourite go to place while I sat at home, foolishly awaiting him.” 

Without getting overly involved Shunsui responded with a vague, “Okay, I admit, that’s not something I would have thought Kisuke to be capable of.” 

“Of course not, you only heard one side of the story, everyone automatically believed him after I **falsely** accused him.” 

Well, he hadn’t heard Kisuke’s side of the story yet either, at least not the parts that intimately involved Aizen. 

It had been nothing more than a lovers’ spat. 

Providing distraction would probably already be too late, but it was worth a try. “Still feel like playing the game?” 

The other shook his shoulders aloofly. 

“Well, you still gotta remove an article of clothing though.” 

Sousuke stared hard at him, probably on the verge of throwing the whole table around like a kid who was discontented at his loss with a board-game. “You want me naked don’t you?” he then slinked over to him, bottle of cognac in his hand, and straddled his lap fluently while hands roamed Shunsui’s hairy chest. “You want to fuck me, don’t you?” 

As enticing as that sounded and as nice as his vision even was, it began to feel like it involved some spite regarding Kisuke’s past deeds. Not exactly the, ‘first time’ he had envisioned with Sousuke so he captured those caressing palms which had the younger brunet trying to clumsily drink from the bottle, since he couldn’t move his hands. 

“You know, I think you’ve had enough to drink.” 

Why is that when he didn’t decide to get drunk, that he was suddenly the responsible one to try and convince another to stop drinking? Quite ironic actually... 

But the second he tried to take the bottle from his not so sober companion, Sousuke struggled to keep the liquor in his possession, even going as far as trying to hide it in a secure embrace. 

Well, the distraction had partially succeeded... 

The other male was just so adamant on saving the bottle that he stumbled out of his lap in a hurry to evade Shunsui’s grab for it. He thought for sure that the bottle of cognac hadn’t survived that scramble, but low and behold Sousuke was truly giving his all to keep it from harm. 

In an everyday situation Shunsui would have found that admirable; prioritising alcohol over anything else? Truly a man after his own heart. Though this was all just done on a drunken whim. 

Best to maybe actually just let Sousuke get a chance to let go of everything. He stood up to go for a smoke, since the last one he had had, dated from Kisuke’s initiation. 

He contemplated on their evening during his smoke: even if the game hadn’t turned out as it should have, it had still been a nice surprise of Sousuke to turn their evening into a game night, maybe something they could repeat another time. 

Shunsui didn’t regret not going to Kisuke’s after-party at the Shihoin estate anyways, all in all he had better company here in his own estate. 

After his smoke, he saw that the brunet whom had been guarding his bottle of liquor, had forsaken his duty to start napping on the floor. Chuckling to himself, Shunsui took the opportunity to bring Sousuke to his futon. In the midst of putting one of his arms under the younger male’s legs, Sousuke mumbled, “Who’s... turn is it next?” 

“It’s your turn to go to sleep.” 

“Is okay...” came the drunken mutter. 

Well, that’s maybe the most compliant he had experienced Aizen up until now...

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> End Note: To CarolinaBlue15: You don’t need to hope any longer, the day that Shunsui would take Sousuke to the shop has come! XD


	8. Chapter 7

**Chapter seven**  

 

 

Shunsui eyed the younger brunet that was on the floor, practically embracing his toilet bowl with a fervent passion. 

 

Sousuke’s overconfident drinking had lead him to experience the nasty aftereffect that mostly happened after a night of chugging back hard liquor, especially if said drinker was inexperienced. 

 

“Yeah...hangovers are the downside to a previous night of fun.” he observed amusedly. 

 

“It’s not a hangover...” The sight of an elbow supporting a no doubt pounding forehead and an expression that represented Sousuke’s wretched state was proof enough of his morning-after though, without even taking that heavy drowsy voice in consideration. 

 

“You’re straddling the john voluntarily, as a favourite pastime then? Well you’re right that I don’t know everything about you yet in that sense,...some secrets you have there.” 

 

A low groan along with an arduous, “You’re hilarious...” was the younger male’s sarcastic response, before he straightened up a bit and heaved another batch of last night’s fun into the toilet-bowl.

 

Shunsui chuckled lightly and took a step in the direction of the doorway in order to avoid the actual sight of Sousuke’s misery. 

 

“Would you like some tea?” 

 

A miserable, “No...” in between laboured breathing told him as much. 

 

“Water perhaps?” the halfhearted nod was Shunsui’s cue to escape from having to witness too much. 

 

He should have maybe stopped Aizen earlier in his heavy drinking, but even if he had given the younger male smaller shots in comparison to himself, Sousuke would have taken the initiative to enlarge that quantity anyways. Sousuke was if anything, extremely eager to prove that he could go above and beyond another. 

 

Though when the other hadn’t shown up after twenty minutes, Shunsui set out to check up on him again. Sousuke still sat in the same position; awkwardly supporting himself on the seat. 

 

“There was something wrong with the alcohol.” 

 

He laughed, easy to blame the liquor. “No, you were a little too courageous when chugging back 40% alcohol like it was water.” when he offered the glass of water, Sousuke shook his head and mumbled that he needed to brush his teeth first.

 

So he decided to help the other up on his way to the sink.   

 

“You make it seem so effortless.” 

 

“Ah...it’s a matter of practice, sweetheart.” To say that he never had to deal with hangovers was a lie, but he more or less knew his absolute limit. Plus he could tolerate a lot more due to his daily practice. 

 

Helping the younger one washing up, he then set out to support him to a different area than his bathroom. Might be a little bit more comfortable. 

 

Even if Sousuke’s own state was the brunet’s own fault, he should at least take responsibility for the fact that he allowed the other to drink. Offering some support was therefore the least he could do. 

 

“I take it you don’t want to eat anything right now.”  

 

“Whatever makes you think that?” 

 

He still sounded quite shabby, but the younger could at least appreciate his humour again, in his own way of course. 

 

“Maybe next time we’ll keep it to something a little lighter, beer perhaps.” 

 

“Emphasis on light apparently...” Sousuke stressed. “And the taste is just as horrible. A good wine would be a better choice.”  

 

He doubted that, then again wine wasn’t exactly his sort of savouriness. “Can you even get drunk on something so sweet?”

 

“There’s just as many variations, and I’m sure if you down the amount you drink that it will get you tipsy in the slightest.” 

 

“I’m not really a fan, but, maybe we should test that theory of yours someday, mmh?” 

 

An outing to taste some wine in the real world might be put on his agenda. 

 

“Not anytime soon though, I’ve seen enough alcohol for a while.”

 

Shunsui snickered. “Really? And I thought you weren’t hungover in the slightest.” 

 

“A hangover involves a headache, and for your information I don’t have one at all.” 

 

“You might become a professional with those qualities. You don’t have it too bad then, and here I’m thinking you’re feeling absolutely wretched.”

 

“I am feeling sick, yes, that’s bad enough.” 

 

He chuckled, the other male could be a little overdramatic. 

 

“Do you have to go to work?” 

 

“Yeah, do you miss me already?”

 

“Terribly.” Sousuke responded in that bland manner of his after taking a huge gulp of his glass of water.  

 

“Well, then I might just have **the** solution for you; come work for me. Not officially of course, but you’ll get paid properly, don’t worry.” 

 

He still had to convince Nanao-chan, but that was just a matter of coming up with the right sort of excuses. 

 

Though his companion himself didn’t seem too happy about the idea either. 

 

“Weren’t you of the opinion that you deserved a second chance as well?”

 

“Yes...”

 

But? 

 

“There is no exception...I just feel like I’m ready to try something new, something different.” The younger one looked around, seemingly on the lookout for that something. “Working in an office is the same old...I need a challenge of some sort.”

 

“Aha.” Well, he couldn’t really help with that. Being a paper pusher wasn’t exactly the most exciting job there was out there, but he really couldn’t send Sousuke out on missions. Getting caught by some of the members of Central 46 while Aizen was going through a couple of his papers was one thing, but sending Aizen out in the name of his division was a step too far. Especially since the first division was to set the example for the rest, and in the name of the Royal Realm, absolutely no member of the Gotei 13 wanted to be associated with a traitor like Aizen. “See it as something temporarily then, until you’ve found what you’re looking for.” 

 

Speaking of work, he stood up to actually get going himself and gave the other’s indecisive murmur an encouraging, “Think about, huh.” He gave Sousuke’s shoulder a comforting squeeze before Flashstepping out of the estate. 

 

Nanao seemed pleasantly surprised at his early and rather sober arrival, she even voluntarily offered to take some of his workload for him unto her own shoulders. Which he was quick to deny, he’d be getting an extra pair of hands in the division soon enough. 

 

“You know that you’re my sweetest niece in the world, right?” 

 

Her smile turned around fast into a suspicious half glare. “What do you want?” 

 

“Mah...why are you always so suspicious of me?” The hard stare he received in return, made him own up to his great idea quickly. “You know how we’re always behind on our workload...” 

 

She seemed to have heard enough and turned coarse towards her own office, to which Shunsui took his cue to follow. “You’re the only one that’s behind on the workload, the rest of the division is doing well.” 

 

“Alright...and just because I’m stuck with so much paperwork, I’ve found the best candidate to help me go through that stack quicker.”

 

“You could do just fine without any help if you actually took your work seriously. Try showing up on time for once, that would help you a lot further.” 

 

It’s like she knew whom he was trying to recommend for the job before he even hinted at Aizen. 

 

“You’re too hard on me, Nanao-chan... Being a Captain Commander is hard work you know.” 

 

“Yeah...especially in your case.” 

 

He didn’t take offence to her criticism, she didn’t mean it anyways. 

 

“Sousuke-kun could help me now and then.” 

 

She turned around to face him again, looked left and right to make sure no one was around and whispered in a hushed manner, “Undeclared?” 

 

“Of course.” 

 

Nanao pushed up her glasses, no doubt getting ready to talk that idea out of his head or warn him about the consequences. 

 

“Don’t worry, I’ll take full responsibility if Central 46 sends control.” 

 

She seated herself back behind her desk, bent on ignoring his recommendation for sure. 

 

“He should get the chance to integrate back into society, Nanao-chan, which is statistically seen as the best way to rehabilitate criminals...well, former criminals.” 

 

The raised eyebrow peeking up from the frame of her glasses showcased her disbelief at his offhanded way of using the term criminal.

 

“What are you thinking?” 

 

“Should it matter? You’re going to hire him anyways.” 

 

“Of course, it matters! I need you to be comfortable as my most important vice-captain.” 

 

He wouldn’t let Aizen work under him if Nanao would be firmly opposed to the idea, he would like to keep the peace in his office after all. 

 

She sighed. “Fine, do with it what you want, but, I’m telling you, he’s your responsibility.”

 

He smiled and winked, “You’re the best niece, Nanao-chan.” 

 

“Yeah, yeah...begin your workday.” 

 

He would be right on it, well, after sending Kisuke a Hellbutterfly, since he had to have a few words with him. 

 

-0-

 

After taking a refreshing bath, Sousuke felt a little bit better, at least better than when he had woken up...

 

He wouldn’t admit it to Shunsui, but he had drank too much. The confrontation with Kisuke, plus bringing up said confrontation at their game had him grasping at the shots like they were the perfect resolution to drown his problems about said blond. While it shouldn’t have been about Kisuke in the first place. It should have been his chance to get to know Shunsui better, yet he had done it again; he got wound up at the mere mention of **him**. 

 

He probably made a fool out of himself as well, which was even worse. Alcohol was trouble; it made one lose control of one’s self, something he absolutely avoided at all cost, because he held himself up as the definition of having absolute control. 

 

And maybe just a small percentage of last night’s spectacle was him trying to impress Shunsui or even outdo him in his alcohol consumption. 

 

Which was even more foolish...   

 

Luckily he couldn’t remember half of what he had said anymore. 

 

-0-

 

Shunsui arrived at the bar where he had agreed to meet Kisuke. Kind of a cheap place actually, but he wasn’t complaining, if the establisment served sake all was good. Though he was here in first instance for something other than getting drunk, he still accepted the blond’s treat anyways. 

 

It wasn’t every day that Kisuke would spend his money like that. 

 

“Everything okay with wifey?” 

 

As the young male’s cheeks coloured at his statement, almost immediately a fan was drawn from one of the other’s pockets to hide his blush. 

 

“We aren’t bonded...yet...”

 

He sipped from his drink and warned the other in all frivolity, “Better remember what you have waiting at home this time instead of trading it off with the sort of one nightstand that’s paid by the hour.”   

 

Kisuke’s timid expression changed from surprise to understanding in a second. “Aha...Aizen...”

 

He nodded subtly, enough to let the other know he was guessing correctly. 

 

“He’s at it again? He wrapped you around his finger.”

 

Kisuke had always had his respect, the younger male had to face some misfortunes at the hand of Sousuke, but if there was something Shunsui couldn’t stand, it was insults thrown at someone else’s expense.

 

And his mindset was immediately noted by the blond, whom changed his attitude in an instant. 

 

“Okay...let me tell you my version of the story, alright? I guarantee you it’s going to be vastly different from his.”

 

“Go ahead.” there was booze to occupy him with anyways, so he might as well make an effort to hear both sides. 

 

“We were a couple, yeah...were though. And I’m talking about a long time ago, more than a decade to be specific...”

 

So far so good, their stories started the same. 

 

“We had the same ambitions, ideals and dreams, we couldn’t be more aligned to each other as when we studied at the academy. But there were certain setbacks about him, I mean nothing entirely damaging to a relationship, since everyone has something...but, Aizen is someone that’s very...passionate to say it in a nice way.” 

 

That’s something he had encountered already and just like the blond said, not necessarily a bad quality, just difficult sometimes and tiring.  

 

“And to be completely honest now; he’s self-righteous. When I tell you this table is black and everyone can actually see that it’s black, Aizen will disagree and tell you it’s white. He’ll do anything to prove his point and whatever fact you give him, it doesn’t matter because anything his mind is set on is right in his eyes. His opinion is unchangeable.”

 

“He has a difficult personality, I admit. But, don't tell me that little setback got in between your relationship.” 

 

“No, I don’t blame him...his parents are most likely at fault for that.” 

 

He made himself comfortable, his elbow supported himself on the barcounter as he leaned his head on his palm. He was slightly curious about Aizen’s past, because it’s probably something he would never be informed of through Sousuke himself. 

 

“It’s nothing dramatic like a bad childhood, but they didn’t care about him. Aizen might have lived in the middle class area, but his parents had money on them and lavished Aizen with gifts, pampered him...you know, the same thing that many rich kids get; lots of materials, but no love. And no parental authority or any authority whatsoever, so it doesn’t really come off as a surprise that he thinks that he’s right all the time when he had no one to ever oppose him as he grew up.” 

 

“Are his parents still alive?” He wouldn't mind paying them a visit, give Aizen the chance to rekindle or actually attempt some sort of bond with his parents. 

 

“Probably...but they’ve moved...or so I heard. Makes sense if you think about it, when your child becomes a traitor, you’re obviously seen as the enemy as well. But nobody knows where they are.” 

 

Rukongai probably, best known area to disappear in the crowd and become another unknown name.  

 

“Mmfh...” he contemplatively rubbed his thumb along the hairs on his chin. “If he had money, then why was he so opposed to the nobility?” 

 

“Because of the privileges.” Kisuke glanced at him. “No shade from my side, but there’s a difference between growing up with money and being born of noble descent.” 

 

That much was true and something Shunsui certainly wouldn’t deny. “Something that’s no stranger to you, since you’ve been brought up in the Shihoin-clan.” 

 

“Not exactly brought up...they took me in because the earliest memory of myself that I have is as an eight year old wandering the streets of the Rukon district...Yoruichi came along and I was welcome at her place, but I was certainly not semi-adopted like Rukia-san was. But whatever, it’s not about me, it’s about Aizen. The fact that you have money and still can’t be of any influence or the fact that you’re one of the Gotei 13 and still don’t have a chance at remoulding the laws to your own hand irked him greatly. Everything has to go his way, you know, so the nobility will never be his equal, simply because he was never treated like an equal by them. And don’t get me started on the Soul King...because that thing is at fault for everything.”

 

He chuckled. 

 

Kisuke shuffled closer and waved his fan to regain his attention to whisper behind the paper material, “I don’t mean Ukitake-san.” 

 

“Oh, I know...Try to say a bad word about him to me and see if you live to tell the tale.” 

 

The younger scooted quickly back over to his own side on the bar. 

 

“So, what broke you two apart, if not that peculiar personality.” 

 

Kisuke peered into his own drink. “Those ideals, dreams and ambitions I was talking about earlier was the Hogyoku... But when we stumbled upon a major complication regarding the actual composition of the orb...Aizen wasn’t afraid to turn to the black market for the solution. That opposing personality is difficult to understand in that moment, because exploiting others, mainly innocent Souls was a no go for me.” The blond head then turned towards him. “Sacrificing another’s life to gain success is where I drew the line.”

 

Shunsui drank his cup in one gulp. The sincerity in those light eyes was undeniable. While Aizen’s eyes had spit vitriol and vengeance when talking about their past, Kisuke’s seemed full of regret...

 

“Naturally, Aizen didn’t care about my opinion and did it behind my back. He closed deals with crime lords and other unsavoury people that you best stay as far away from as possible. But he had power and an incredible charisma to top it off, so his chit chats convinced many more Souls than just myself of his capabilities. Time period I’m talking about is when he was accepted by the fifth division and I worked in the Maggot’s Nest. I was also training regularly in the second division so I hardly had any time to keep an eye on him.”

 

His knowing glance at the younger male had Kisuke telling him, “Training, I swear, just training. There was nothing between me and Yoruichi yet.” 

 

He had to take Kisuke’s word for it, since he had no evidence anyways, besides Aizen’s side of the story. 

 

“And it got me into trouble, the kind of Souls Aizen mingled with had minions everywhere and so our relationship was noted. Aizen owed them money and unfinished business deals...and they wouldn’t go to him...obviously, Kyouka Suigetsu protected and covered Aizen completely.”

 

It had gotten him undoubtedly into a mess. The blond’s appearance had been scrawny and exhausted as if he could barely hold himself together. Jushiro had been so worried about him in that period...and Shunsui had given Kisuke a pat on the shoulder on more than one occasion, even though he hadn’t known the troubles they had sunken into.  

 

“Weren’t you bonded to Aizen then? Zanpakuto automatically defend the wielder’s significant other.” 

 

“Zanpakuto are constructed after their wielder’s personality. If I tell you of Aizen’s narcissistic tendencies it shouldn’t come off as a surprise that his sword was just as selfish in that protection.” 

 

The blond looked melancholily back into the depth of his empty cup. “I lost a lot of money and I...well, we had to scramble to make ends meet... everything just basically piled up, the money problems, the debt collectors,...while he kept endangering our lives. Being accepted officially into the Gotei 13, he as a vice-captain and I as captain of the twelfth division didn’t change that. Those were the kind of businesses that you should stay out of, whatever your status or power even is.” 

 

“Yet you both survived.” 

 

Kisuke looked at him, his grey eyes were drawn into a frown. “Aizen had the power of illusion, so that held them back...but it could have ended in an entirely different way. Anyways our paths split, I told him I was done with it, because I didn’t want to live like that. He had created the Hogyoku throughout his sacrificial deeds, faulty of course, and I set out to continue the search for another way to assemble the orb.”

 

Their stories were vastly different indeed. “You didn’t sleep with paid company or had anything going on with miss Shihoin on the side of your relationship?” 

 

“After our relationship was over, completely done, that’s when I started something with Yoruichi. Not immediately either, don’t get me wrong, it took me a while before I got over Aizen’s deceitful act of blaming me. She taught me how to trust someone again.” 

 

He observed the blond’s expression carefully. 

 

“I swear, honestly, we were long since over and out, but Aizen never accepted that.” 

 

“And no visits to the red light district mhh?” 

 

The blond called the bartender over and motioned to fill up their cups again. “I have to be honest and not that I’m proud of that, but yes that happened, once. We graduated from the academy and you know Isshin...he offered to barhop in Inuzuri and when...drunk the body succumbs easily to lust.” 

 

“Just once, huh?”

 

“That I actually cheated on Aizen? Yes...but it wasn’t my only time visiting that district. Though I don’t think there’s anything wrong with getting a lapdance or enjoying a striptease at one’s birthday...”

 

Oh, he was of the same opinion, but Shunsui wasn’t in any sort of relationship. If he had a significant other, though, such sort of endeavours were to be smartly passed over.  

 

“You and Aizen?”  

 

Acting aloof probably wouldn’t help in avoiding the question, but Shunsui was still curious on how Kisuke came up with that conclusion just like that. And that curiosity gave it away entirely, since Kisuke elaborated, “Oh come on, it’s obvious, that huge hickey contrasted heavily with the white lapels of his kimono. 

 

And even though Kisuke asked, the blond likely knew the answer to that already, still, Shunsui responded with a vague, “We’re not in a relationship.”

 

“Are you sure that he’s of the same opinion?” 

 

Shunsui continued fingering his beard in silence. “Who knows what’s going on in that head of his...he’s indecipherable.”

 

Kisuke laughed, “Join the club.” 

 

All jokes aside he had more reason to trust Kisuke, because the blond was overall a lot more reliable that Sousuke ever was. His description of Sousuke alone actually gave Kisuke a lot of credibility, simply because that sounded exactly like the younger brunet. 

 

“I’m alright with it, you have my blessing even...just don’t forget the things I warned you about...keep that in mind and maybe...you’ll be the one who will go down in Seireitei history as the one whom tamed Aizen.” 

 

He held out a hand to halt that ramble, as sweet as the other man’s blessing even was. “No seriously, we’re not in a relationship and I have no future plans with him together...at all.”

 

“Aha...again, is he of the same opinion? Because your word means entirely nothing to him.” 

 

It was just sex...just another one of his one nightstands...even though he and Sousuke had fooled around more than once... 

 

He drank some more before ordering a round on his cost, waiting on the blond took too damn long. 

 

“Did it take you a long time before he put out?” The subject of their past was cleared up, and since he had no troubles with Kisuke personally, never had in the first place, he might as well gather some pointers regarding Sousuke. 

 

As he glanced at the one beside him, the blond’s fan was conveniently covering up the other’s current expression. 

 

“Considerably...he was very prudish.”

 

“Say that again.” he muttered and ordered another round to wash away the burn of the previous. 

 

“But, once he does...” He chuckled as the blond’s snicker resounded from behind the paper fan. “He’s passionate in every sense of the word...including between the sheets.” 

 

“Ah...” he snickered in his cup, only because Kisuke was chuckling quietly. 

 

“Yeah...” the blond answered amusedly. 

 

What a turn of their conversation...Sousuke would maim them both if he ever found out. Which made him somewhat glance subtly through the bar, yet no familiar face could be picked up in the crowd. 

 

He saw Kisuke’s furtive glances and he reassured the blond that everything said in the bar would remain disclosed between the two of them. 

 

“Alright...” The blond’s cup of sake was chugged back as some form of liquid courage. “Ever...did he blow you already?” 

 

“No.” he set his elbow back on the barcounter, because things were getting spicy and so he had to make sure he heard every detail.  

 

Kisuke nodded noncommittally, caught in his own sort of suppressed enjoyment. Talking about an ex while he was currently in a relationship made the blond no doubt a little uncomfortable. 

 

“Recommend it?” 

 

A very eager, “Yeah...” left the one beside him. 

 

Well, that’s advice he would definitely take for granted. 

 

-0-

 

 “You can begin tomorrow.” 

 

Without even having had the decent time to reconsider Shunsui’s offer, the choice was made for him already the second the Captain Commander returned home from work. 

 

What you could call work of course...his breath smelled suspiciously of alcohol, so Sousuke doubted that the older male had done much of that at all. 

 

It’s not like he didn’t appreciate Shunsui’s proposition though, it’s just that he needed to be able to feel like he would make a difference. And as Shunsui’s office-worker that would not be the case. 

 

“Temporarily.” he told Shunsui firmly, since that’s something the Captain Commander should definitely keep in mind. 

 

“Yeah, no problem, as soon as you’ve found your dream job, I’ll let you go.” 

 

He nodded in affirmation, though it was reluctant.  

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Next time I update will definitely be for 'Your wish is my command'.


	9. Chapter eight

**Chapter Eight**  

 

Working for Shunsui was what Sousuke expected it to be; he had to tolerate a lot of random squeezes and fondling at the most inopportune moments. Especially when he had one of his 3th or 4th seats over, a hand would just subtly creep up or down his back to somehow end up on his ass anyway... 

 

Luckily he was skilled at keeping his expression plain and unfazed. 

 

Otherwise it was just another random day at the office. There wasn't much backlog around, and whatever documents that had a deadline were easily caught up on. So besides the intimate touches, he doubted Shunsui was actually in need of another worker. 

 

The Captain Commander had two vice-captains already... Sousuke remembered time managing and delegating a lot of his duties in his time as vice-captain or captain, so Shunsui had no reason to complain whatsoever.   

 

He was purely there for Shunsui’s entertainment basically. 

 

Which wasn’t exactly bad per say, he had to admit that those secretive gropes were sometimes a little thrilling. Their furtive glances at each other that just betrayed their inside joke was even enough to keep them both entertained throughout the day. It was nothing more than ‘innocent’ flirting. But it wasn’t the job he was looking for, he wanted to be useful and somehow irreplaceable.  

 

Of course, there were also moments that Shunsui had to act accordingly. Sousuke wasn't really allowed to accompany the Captain Commander outside of the office, but outside in the courtyard was still acceptable. And although many were no doubt curious or more than a little annoyed at his constant presence in the first division, it was somehow tolerated after Nanao had briefed everyone briefly of Sousuke’s task of ‘rehabilitating’. Which had to have been Shunsui’s order in one way or another. 

 

Because control of the division had followed no longer after a couple of days of Sousuke’s start in the first division. And Shunsui had miraculously slipped them out of any trouble, by hammering on the absolute necessity of Sousuke reintegrating back into society. 

 

Although it came with strict permits and prohibitions: mainly tasks that he was forbidden from doing; such as going on missions or any sort of officially related business regarding the Gotei 13. He was quote on quote, just Kyouraku’s secretary, and was only allowed to keep himself busy with non-official documents of the first division. 

 

He didn’t know why or how, but one day he was awaiting the start of a very important meeting, that had followed the event of some rallies the day before. Or at least the disturbance of the general order by some Rukon brats. They were oddly awaiting the arrival of said troublemakers in the assembly hall of the first division, which was even more peculiar. 

 

When the hooligans finally entered at the end of the long hallway, Sousuke looked mildly surprised at the Captain Commander next to him, when the troublemakers turned out to be a group of seven year olds.  

 

Shunsui just chuckled, motioning them closer with a quick wave. 

 

And they came prepared apparently; two of them were carrying a fabric, covered in childish drawings. They shuffled through the long hallway, wide eyes glancing at their surroundings while one of them looked determinedly their way.  

 

“Alright, let yourself be heard.” the older male next to him said in a voice that encouraged the sudden meek kids to somewhat gather their courage again. 

 

The one in the middle, who seemed to have been taking the lead all the way, took a couple of courageous steps towards them to declare in a loud voice, “We want a school!” 

 

“Yeah!!” yelled another behind the taller kid, before hiding his face again.   

 

Nanao, whom was sitting on Shunsui’s other side, had a softer, almost sympathetic smile forgoing her usual strict features.   

 

“We want equal opportunities!” 

 

My, what a vocabulary coming from a seven year old that grew up in the seediest part of Soul Society, he was minutely impressed. And he had to admit that it was somewhat adorable as well. 

 

“You’re right!” Shunsui persuaded graciously. “You don’t want it, you need it!” 

 

“Yeah!” came the same roar from behind one of the heads. 

 

“And that’s why we want a school!” concluded the leader with a particular proud stance with his hands on his hips.  

 

“Children are the Seireitei’s future generation, and we can’t possible forget the ones in the Rukongai.” Shunsui surmised in an agreeable manner. 

 

Even then though, schools in the Rukon district would be torn down, as a sign of rebellion against the system by those that failed the Shin’o Academy later on, or by those that were discontent by the obvious corruption of certain classes. Pre-Academies were already built beyond the borders of the Rukongai, at least one on either wind direction just outside of the Seireitei, but Rukon children were absolutely forbidden from entering. Sousuke himself had attended one as well, simply because his parents could afford him such education for him, because that was another problem even normal Souls struggled with. It was no more than a school that prepared the youngsters for better chances at being accepted into the prestigious Shin’o Academy.  

 

“I’ll be sure to talk to the Soul King on behalf of your little group, we’ll make it official immediately.” Shunsui promised and held out his hand as a sign to confirm the deal between them, which the little leader of the group shook with great enthusiasm.  

 

Much of convincing the current Soul King wouldn't have to be happening, since as Shunsui had told him already; his Ju-chan had a soft spot for children. 

 

“My assistent, Sousuke will prepare the documents immediately.” 

 

He refrained from chuckling and nodded in affirmation, but when Shunsui stared at him, together with five other hopeful glances, he got up to get a scroll in order to write down their request. 

 

Shunsui afterwards told them to put their signature and their names underneath their petition. 

 

The group shuffled awkwardly over to them, suddenly kind of lost as to what exactly they had to do. 

 

Sousuke had the faintest idea of what the problem was, something he had even encountered with fifteen or sixteen year olds in the Academy. “You can’t write?” 

 

The group simultaneously shook their heads in a somewhat embarrassed manner. 

 

Shunsui urged those frowns away with a supportive, “Ah, don’t worry about it, it’s not exactly a necessity, simply put a little scribble and that be it.”  

 

As they watched the enthusiastic bunch being guided back out of the assembly hall, Shunsui remarked, “Ah, what a delight.” 

 

He didn’t want to be the bad guy that would burst that hopeful bubble, but; “Be that as it may, I am sure that you are no stranger to the fact that education is looked down upon in the Rukon district, and that similar projects like that have been burned down, literally.” 

 

“Only by the rotten apples that ruin it for everyone else.” 

 

“Yes, but would you deliberately risk the lives of the future generation for the sake of trying that project? Even if you surround the school with guards, you’ll get the same outcome. The Rukongai is a lost cause however you want to look at it.”

 

It was sad, but true. The couple of purges that did manage to mow down the rebellious crowd, could never get rid of the bigger gangs that operated behind those mindless puppets.  

 

Shunsui murmured an incomprehensible response.   

 

“But there should be something that we can do to give them a chance.” pressured Nanao lightly.  

 

“We shouldn’t be so focused on the Rukongai itself, what if we make the pre-academies that already exist a little more accessible for the less fortunate?”

 

That could be a step in the right direction, although it would create protest from the middle class just as well. No Soul wanted their children mingling with the rats of the Rukon district. 

 

“I’ll talk to Ju-chan about it, but something has to change anyhow.” 

 

He saw Shunsui lethargically get up from his lotus position to settle some last matters regarding the petition while Sousuke reminisced on the sort of education that was taught in those schools.    

 

Even if the pre-academies turned out to be a success, fundamental skills such as reading and writing basic kanji was only briefly skimmed over. It was supposed to be a preparation for the Academy, so emphasis lay on controlling one’s reiatsu and sparring. Those whom had never attended pre-academy had to take side classes in the Shin’o Academy itself, which was in addition to the mandatory schedule, a difficult task for most.    

 

Which made him somehow think of the calligraphy lessons he had taught in the Academy. Teaching was an art in itself, and the enthusiasm the teacher itself had for his or her job made a vast difference in the students’s motivation.  

 

If school fees were to be lowered for the sake of the less fortunate, obviously wages would be lowered as well. And that meant a decline in education overall. 

 

The Captain Commander suddenly turned around to face him, after his chat with Nanao. “I still have a meeting, so I unfortunately can’t lunch with you.” 

 

Sousuke entrusted the other with the fact that he had something planned already as well. In fact, he suddenly had to check up on something; more like evaluate the possibilities...     

 

He went straight to his childhood home and carefully entered the rundown structure. 

 

There were no household effects anymore, whether his parents had sold everything when moving out or whatever it even was that caused everything to be gone, it was maybe better that way. 

 

He wasn’t particularly emotional, but starting his own little business inside of the house he grew up felt a little nostalgic. He figured it was probably much too small in order to turn it into a school, but, he wouldn’t be opposed to picking up his love for calligraphy once again in favour of teaching little children the ropes of reading, writing and neatly drawing kanji. 

 

Standing there, he actually had a general idea of what he was going to go for, it’s something he was generally interested in after all. And as a calligraphy teacher he really didn’t need a second floor, it was ready to collapse at any minute anyways, so it would be better to just take that all down. Which would mean less costs to renovate just one floor. 

 

As for the ground floor: some small desks and maybe a whiteboard would fit the picture better. And maybe a small kitchenette for some lunch. 

 

But that would be all for privately owned goods, because first, the actual structure had to be repaired here and there, new tatami and windows had to be installed and so on. Not to mention a bit of paint would be appreciated as well. 

 

It was still going to cost him some money, which forced him to put the idea aside for quite some time. At least until he had saved up some.  

 

He went back to the first division thereafter, eager to tell Shunsui his plans. Although the older male wasn’t back yet.

 

“Oh, I wouldn’t expect him here today anymore, he had a meeting with the 11th division, so...” Nanao gave him a knowing glance. 

 

Of course... the eleventh division: that meant that Kyouraku wouldn’t be sober enough to even hear the general gist of his plan when he did decide to come back. He finished his work though, and no Kyouraku was in sight by the end of his work-shift either, so he went back home. 

 

And the more he actually thought about his idea, the more it began to feel...right. He had really enjoyed his job as a calligraphy instructor. There was just something about being able to make a difference on the next generation. And in this case especially, since his students would still be mere kids. 

 

He would truly be doing something productive and something he actually wanted to do himself. He would be making a change; albeit small, it was guaranteed to make a lasting impression. 

 

When Kyouraku arrived, he heard the Captain Commander fumbling around in the genkan, clearly drunk. 

 

He had to have been observing the other for a good five minutes, before the older male was finally able to get his shoes off and become aware of him. A huge grin; the kind he had seen when Shunsui was on the prowl, was directed at him the second he saw him. And not a moment later he was more or less pulled into a big bear hug, which given Shunsui’s not so sober state, turned out to be a desperate attempt to support himself with Sousuke. 

 

That almost dead weight coupled with such an enthusiastic leap at him made them both fall backwards due to Sousuke missing the step of the genkan behind him. 

 

The fact that he could barely move underneath the weight on top of him was one reason why he kept so still, but Shunsui’s hazy gaze that was looking directly in his eyes was another reason why he couldn’t move much. A big hand had encircled his chin to keep his head just as rooted, but it’s the threat of being kissed that kept him a little hypnotised. Because he had been waiting on a kiss from Shunsui for a long time. Which was odd considering the Captain Commander’s fleeting romances. 

 

Though no more than a misplaced peck just beneath his bottom lip is all he got, before Shunsui fervently changed directions to his neck. 

 

Sousuke squirmed a little as he felt the older male nosing in between his collarbone to give him some sharp love bites, renewing the bruised spot that was already decorating him.  

 

That was **not** the way he wanted to be romanced though! He expected at least a little more effort from his experienced counterpart. He therefore tried to halt Shunsui’s equally interested roaming hands and futilely tried to turn his head in order to create less space for the other to suck on his neck. 

 

It successfully discouraged Kyouraku’s intent to mark him, but it didn’t dissuade the older male entirely, since he set his course off to below Sousuke’s obi. 

 

Palms just subtly tried to spread his legs so Shunsui could presumably take place in between them, even though Sousuke tensed up his muscles to try and discourage that strategy as well. 

 

Of course, his reluctance wasn’t really noted by the other...

 

A drunken murmur of, “You’re wearing that kimono.” halted him in his attempts to push Shunsui off, since the Captain Commander himself had stopped his fumbling to stare at his clothes. 

 

He was contemplating Shunsui’s sudden fixation with the material, because he didn’t know why it would be of any interest to him whatsoever. He had just taken it out of the dresser in his room, well...the guest room.  

 

The kimono had a colour akin to white, although it had the faintest pinkish hue to it, with dark burgundy petals of some kind of flower near the bottom of the kimono. It was a nice cloth and he was normally allowed to take anything out of the closet to wear...

 

But apparently this kind of cloth was off limit for some reason, since the lustful atmosphere around Kyouraku seemed to have turned around fast. The palms that had crept in between the folds of his kimono had started fisting the material instead. 

 

It probably held a special meaning, just like the pink kimono that lay sometimes draped around the older man’s shoulders... 

 

Foolish of the other to stuff it into the closet that Sousuke could make use of...

 

“I can always take it off.” he offered quietly, noting the almost sudden somber disposition of his partner. 

 

Shunsui’s head shook lightly, still bowed down, seemingly intricately studying the material he clutched tightly. “No.” He then snuggled on top of Sousuke’s breastbone, flattening him uncomfortably to the hard floor. “Ju-chan often wore it when he stayed over.” was practically muffled into his chest. 

 

Ah, well, as lovely as that even was, did Shunsui have to get sentimental on the floor? 

 

He sighed lightly, contemplating how to go about comforting his partner. What would Shunsui himself have done to placate someone, or what could the older male appreciate? Except a drink, since he had more than enough for today.

 

Shunsui had snuggled his face even closer in his neck, and it had the other’s ponytail almost entangled with Sousuke’s fingers. His hand had been resting on the older male’s shoulder in case he had to push Shunsui’s eager loving away. 

 

He pulled off the hairpin and hairband, so he could caress his hand through the long curly mess which received him a pleased murmur from his drunken companion.   

 

It was probably best to stay silent. Ukitake meant the world to Shunsui. And despite that devotion the Captain Commander probably couldn’t erase the rejection that he had to have faced at one point in time. It wasn’t really similar to him and Kisuke, since the blond had fallen out of love with him, while Ukitake had probably never had any romantic feelings to begin with for his best friend. 

 

He could try saying a cliched, ‘Plenty of fish in the sea’ since it would work in Sousuke’s own favour to get Shunsui over his heartbreak from the Soul King. But, it was a saying that Shunsui was already well acquainted with...a little too acquainted. 

 

Maybe somehow it didn’t have so much to do with Ukitake’s rejection, but the fact that the two close friends were separated so far from each other. Pure nostalgia. 

 

As comfortable as the one on top of him even was, that drunk weight was cutting off his air, not to mention that his arm was getting cramped from going through the other’s hair. And his neck was getting moist from Shunsui’s slow, but regular breathing...

 

Wait a minute...

 

Had he fallen asleep? 

 

He tried a whispered, “Kyouraku-san?” but only received a sleepy murmur in return. 

 

Well, wasn’t that wonderful? 

 

Here he had been trying to find a way to comfort Shunsui while the older male had apparently been too drunk to even truly care about the kimono in the first place. 

 

A snore that followed absolutely confirmed his suspicions.

 

Well, so far his tolerance, since the other one would be just as fine to sleep it off on the floor. Although trying to crawl from under a clingy sleeping Captain Commander had been another challenge. 

 

-0-                           

 

Sousuke had tried and eventually succeeded in ignoring Shunsui pinching his ass. Which he could proudly say also worked for the other’s whining of, “Oh, My back hurts, Sousuke-kun. Your kneading hands would do wonders and as my secretary that’s part of your job, you know.”

 

But he unfortunately couldn’t ignore Shunsui for more than two hours into the afternoon. Exactly the duration of time that took Shunsui to decide to turn up for work the day after his drunken celebration with the eleventh division...

 

There was just that teeny tiny pressing need to tell Shunsui of his plans and that completely resolved his mission of ignoring the older male the entire afternoon. So he turned around to face the Captain Commander again, from his position near the desk, but where he was assured that Shunsui’s sneaky palm couldn’t reach his ass. 

 

“I’ve been thinking.” 

 

Shunsui glanced up from his documents, which made Sousuke feeling slightly guilty, since getting the other to concentrate on his work was already a true difficulty. And now he was just further distracting him... “Uh oh, do I need to be worried?”  

 

“Excuse me?” he said, mildly affronted at the other’s tease, which evaporated just as quickly when Shunsui shook his head while a lopsided grin revealed his partner’s joking nature. “I want to teach calligraphy again.” 

 

“Aha.” Shunsui’s eyebrows rose quickly from their silent smile. “You do know that Central 46 likely won’t allow you to teach at the Academy.” 

 

“I know, I actually would like to tutor those Rukon children.” 

 

The older male clearly wasn’t expecting that, since he straightened his posture, staring intently at him for further info. 

 

“I want to do this out of my own free will, I don’t expect to get paid for it, see it as a volunteering job.” 

 

“Seems like a nice initiative.” 

 

Then why didn’t Kyouraku seem to be completely convinced? “Seems like it?” he questioned unsurely. Was the Captain Commander wary of his good intentions? Because Shunsui was normally fairly quickly on board with new ideas, especially something as noble as his initiative. 

 

Shunsui made an indecisive hand gesture, showcasing his scepticism. “You know that running an unofficial dojo will get the attention of Central 46, you’re going to be ‘influencing’ kids of the Rukongai after all, and you know how that will be perceived.”

 

“Oh, but it’s no dojo. I’m just going to teach them calligraphy, nothing else, I promise.” He smiled brightly, intending to convince the other with an expression that should normally persuade Shunsui or anyone for that matter. Since it had been his, ‘you know I’m right’ kind of smile.    

 

“Mmhmm. You still need a place to teach them.” 

 

“I was thinking of my old family home.”  

 

“You have really thought this through didn’t you?” 

 

His smile turned genuine, because yes, he had thought this through for the simple fact that calligraphy had always been a passion of his. And he could foresee himself truly enjoying his work without forgetting his main goal in the end; his freedom. Because he was becoming a little too close to Shunsui; a little too attached. He just needed to distance himself a bit in order not to forget his objection in the end. 

 

“Alright, why don’t you show me your family home during lunch break and then you can also recommence your persuading of me.” 

 

It actually sounded as if he had Kyouraku exactly where he wanted him. The Captain Commander oddly enough returned to his documents soon after, so Sousuke saw the way the other stretched his back while palming his shoulder. Leaving the older male to sleep on the floor might have been somewhat harsh, considering Kyouraku’s faith in him.   

 

So regarding the part where he needed to persuade him...since Shunsui seemed supportive enough of him, perhaps he owed Shunsui that nice massage after all. 

 

He set aside his own papers and moved behind Shunsui’s seated position at his desk. Setting his hands on Shunsui’s shoulders, he coaxed the other’s palm off so he had complete access to the older male’s shoulder-blades.  

 

Shunsui glanced just once at him during his actions, but he still caught that famous roguish smile. The one that just spelled, ‘permission granted’.  

 

Sousuke moved his caress to the back of the other’s neck, kneading his hands into strong muscles. He silently relished in the feeling of Shunsui relaxing under his touch, and he actually had to suppress the urge to slip his fingers underneath the Captain Commander’s uniform. 

 

What was he trying to do here anyways? He didn’t particularly needed to convince Shunsui, yet a part of him wanted to thank the older male on a more personal level. Why was he becoming so physically involved?  

 

Although, to be honest he was allowed to indulge himself as well, it didn’t need to be all well played out. Besides if he enjoyed himself, his game would likely be more believable. 

 

He bent his posture somewhat so he was practically leaning over Shunsui, with his chin leaning on one of those strong shoulders. He then nuzzled into the other’s neck, receiving a rumbled chuckle that encouraged Sousuke to nose further into that hair so he had access to his right ear, that had a piece missing. 

 

And in his best suggestive tone he whispered, “Do you want me to-” unfortunately his sentence got interrupted when Shunsui’s fourth seat stumbled into the division. Sousuke straightened immediately and grabbed one of the nearby files on Shunsui’s desk to casually browse through it while Shunsui seemed endlessly amused, chuckling heartily. 

 

The guy that walked in however was completely clueless on what had transpired before his entrance, since the man hadn’t seen their intimate display during his stumble. 

 

Though it did slightly annoy Sousuke, since the man obviously ruined their moment! 

 

Not that said guy was aware of anything at all, he just seemed embarrassed since he probably thought they were laughing at his comical entrance. Or had he perhaps seen something after all, because the intenser Sousuke’s look became, the redder his face turned.         

 

Whatever it was, Shunsui’s chuckles entirely disappeared to engage his fourth seat in a far more serious manner. When the Captain Commander’s presence was also needed somewhere specifically, Sousuke reminded Shunsui, “Don’t forget your appointment during lunch break, Captain Commander.” 

 

And he received a, “I sure won’t.” complete with a friendly wink. 

 

-0-

 

Sousuke glanced at the Captain Commander next to him, he silently contemplated if his companion had tanned just the slightest or if Shunsui’s hairy arms were responsible for the other’s somewhat tanned complexion. They were currently seated at a stall that served some sake and local food, the sun was setting, so the orange hues of the sun were probably playing a trick on him, because at dawn everything looked that much brighter again.    

 

They had just come back from another day at work and Shunsui offered to take him out for a drink in order to talk about their visit to his family home. Showing the Captain Commander his project had been the sort of determination that Shunsui had to witness, because the older man seemed to be completely on board with his idea now. 

 

“I wouldn’t make it too modern, keep the shutters, just renew them. The aesthetic of the neighbourhood needs to be maintained.” 

 

It was still hot outside, though the rays of the sun weren’t harshly beating down on their skin anymore. But it wasn’t cooling off rapidly for some reason, being stuck in a heat wave was if anything not exactly pleasant. Yet, he still appreciated their little outing, it was a change of scenery, not to mention that their outing forced Shunsui to make a conversation with him. Well, forced...Shunsui seemed actually very talkative...      

 

“But you can make the interior as modern as you like, in fact swapping out the tatami for wooden floorboards might be the best thing you could do, the tatami is irreparable anyways.” 

 

But instead of actually being interested in the renovation plans that Shunsui was giving him advice on, he was observing the other. Shunsui was savouring his sake, not chugging it back like it was water. The older man’s new found relaxed disposition regarding drinking was a delight to see. Or maybe the other was mindful of the heat in order not to get wasted too fast. 

 

“Though you can always reduce your costs by keeping it as traditional as possible and maybe later down the line you could do an overall upgrade.” 

 

The terrace that was provided by the food stall edged the streets and although he received various contemptuous glances -probably because he was drinking casually with the leader of the Gotei 13- he paid them no heed. Since he rather averted his attention to his companion either way. “I’m going to teach calligraphy voluntarily, so even after a couple of years my funds would remain static.” 

 

Shunsui’s eye corners crinkled up in a hopeful inquiry. “Not when you continue working parttime for me.” 

 

He was tempted to say yes, since the other’s desperate look kind of insinuated that he was irreplaceable in Shunsui’s workforce, but he knew better of course. Shunsui just needed someone to toy around with. 

 

So without giving the older male an answer straight away he instead questioned, “Can I know what happened to your eye?” 

 

His partner didn’t seem taken aback by this or the obvious distraction it provided, he even adjusted his eyepatch as if he was about to give him a peek. “I have no qualms showing it, but just like the top of my right ear it’s completely gone, destroyed by a Quincy.”

 

At his nod, the Captain Commander gave him a quick peek. There was nothing to be seen actually, no hole where his eye used to be. It just seemed as if the other’s right eye was permanently closed, although in a more deformed fashion...

 

Did it affect the way Sousuke perceived Kyouraku? Not at all, it actually added an extra touch to his appearance, it made him look even more rugged. Just like Kisuke’s scars it enhanced their handsome features. Besides they were Shinigami, battle wounds or scars were to be expected, because not everything could be simply restored. 

 

But just in case, he asked, “And not even Inoue Orihime can heal your eye?” although he was sure that Shunsui was already informed of the woman’s superb healing abilities. 

 

He saw Shunsui unconsciously fiddling more with the eyepatch when it was the subject of their conversation, though Sousuke was sure that the topic itself wasn’t exactly a painful matter to Shunsui. Because the Captain Commander would let him know if he was threading dangerous territories.   

 

“No, she can’t. I think that the only one whom had the ability to restore my eye again was Unohana Retsu.” 

 

That was probably true, she had been a master at restoring health. 

 

“So...” Shunsui wasn’t wearing the precious garments he received from Nanao’s mother, just the hairpins alone. It had after all been -and still remained- a hot and humid day. And the natural body-functions caused by such weather were to be admired in the huge opening of Shunsui’s kosode. The older male’s neckline seemed to be moist with perspiration, which was of course a natural reaction to heat. Then why did he feel the overwhelming need to bury his nose in the other’s neck? “Are you going to continue working for me? Children’s attention span stretches out to two hours maximum, after that you can maybe teach another class for the duration of two hours, but you likely won’t be busy a whole day. Drawing calligraphy can’t become strenuous, isn’t it supposed to be fun?”  

 

He grabbed his own sake -as far as it could be called liquor since there was hardly any alcohol in it, Shunsui recommend it actually- and he was glad for the cool temperature it provided. He even rested the glass against his cheek in order to cool off a bit. Wasn’t it supposed to be getting comfortably cool in the evening as apposed to that sticky heat? On top of that Shunsui seemed awfully persistent in keeping him as his secretary... 

 

“It relaxes the mind.” he confirmed calmly, something he was in desperate need of, since Shunsui continuously preoccupied his thoughts lately. 

 

“So you will have plenty of time to destress after working for me.” said Shunsui with a suggestive nudge. 

 

Sousuke chuckled, if Shunsui was half as determined to do his own work as he was to convince Sousuke, the Captain Commander maybe wouldn’t have needed all that extra help. “May-” 

 

“Shunsui!” 

 

He looked back at the call of his companion’s name and saw two Shinigami approaching their table, they seemed to be fairly well acquainted with Shunsui, since they greeted him in a very familiar way. 

 

“It’s been a long time, I haven’t been able to get a hold of you since your promotion to head of the Gotei 13.” 

 

Except a dismissive glance, Sousuke was ignored. Though he hadn’t expected anything less, they obviously weren’t going to engage him into their conversation. 

 

“The war maybe had something to do with that.” Shunsui joked naturally and to Sousuke’s great dismay scooted two chairs over in order to make room for his companions. 

 

He didn’t say anything when the two happily accepted the offer and called over the stall owner, Shunsui naturally wanted to catch up. But did he have to do that when it was supposed to be just the two of them. Shunsui hadn't implied their outing would be a date for sure, but the fact was that the other could catch up with everyone whenever he wanted. So couldn't he have just promised his ‘friends’ a drink some other time?

 

The two companions of Shunsui seemed to be the older man’s age, so he could safely assume that they were his friends. Previous Academy buddies probably, since the two were wearing Shinigami uniforms as well. Although no rank and no insignia were visible on them, he could still safely assume that they originated from the 9th division due to their kosode lacking its sleeves. They were most likely mere seated officers anyways. 

 

They were talking very casually about the war and Shunsui’s missing eye was brought up again by his companions while one of them showed his own battle scars; he was missing his right thumb and pointer finger, along with the right side of that hand. 

 

“We have to sacrifice something for the greater good.” the other commented while Shunsui and the one with his missing fingers laughed heartily. 

 

“Like the spoils of war...which you seem to have your own of.” the subtle nudge in his direction was infuriating. 

 

Because Shunsui already acted as if Sousuke was the spoils of war... 

 

Yet he remained polite and smiled briefly their way. Though Shunsui seemed to have noticed that Sousuke wasn’t very appreciative of the attention he received, so he steered their conversation to fun anecdotes dating from their academy years, confirming Sousuke’s prediction about their relations. 

 

After another round of their sort of liquor, Shunsui didn't seem so sober anymore. He drank faster, along with his companions, including stronger alcohol in order to no doubt keep up with them. They became rowdier as well, laughing loudly while reminiscing about the good old days. 

 

And he himself was actually sinking more and more into the background while the Captain Commander became completely infatuated with the company of his friends. 

 

He knew that he could become jealous rather easily, especially over trivial things, because he liked to keep someone’s attention solely on himself. But that had mostly been the case with Kisuke. In other words, he should care less about what Shunsui actually did or whom he spent his time with. 

Standing up from his seat received him the attention of Shunsui yet again, whom gave him a questionable glance. “It’s getting late, I’m heading home.” 

 

“We haven’t eaten yet though, let me just get you some food-” as Shunsui was trying his best to wave the stall owner over again, Sousuke dismissed the other’s attempts. 

 

“Skipping a meal won’t kill me, besides we still have some leftovers at home.” 

 

A couple of steps unto the street had Shunsui calling out, “Do you want me to come along?” and he heard his companions stating a joking, “He’s a grown man, Shunsui, you don’t need to hold his hand.” 

 

“Enjoy yourself!” he called back, and not a minute later he could hear their roaring laughter down the street as they were engaged into their conversation again. 

 

He was a little annoyed, he wasn’t going to lie about that, because he had expected their little outing to end a little differently. Preferably in the Captain Commander’s bed...Though he had time enough to get cozy with the other, no need to get so bitter. Shunsui wasn’t supposed to mean anything to him anyways.   

 

-0- 

   

During his lunch break the next day, Sousuke visited his old home again. Even if he lacked the funds currently to renovate, the least he could do was sort through the piles of rubbish and scraps on the lookout for items he could reuse. 

 

Though as he neared his house he saw a notice hanging on the gate of the fence and in bright red kanji he could read, ‘To be expropriated on the 15th of the month.’ 

 

He ripped the paper off of his fence and immediately turned around, back to Shunsui’s office. Where he simply threw the public notice on the older man’s desk. 

 

“I can’t believe it! I plan something and **they** miraculously get wind of it...” Shunsui’s drunken mumblings had to have alerted Central 46 somehow and of course they had to prevent his idea from taking form. 

 

Just great. 

 

 

 


	10. Chapter nine

**Chapter nine**

 

Kyouraku’s lacklustre behaviour regarding Central 46’s idea of expropriating his family home, was driving him insane. The Captain Commander said he had something important to take care of after work; which probably included sticking his head in a keg of liquor or the likes. While Sousuke had went home, Kyouraku’s home to be exact.

 

He could take up residence in his rundown home until the fifteenth of the month, but for what purpose anyways? If he was to be standing guard, without being able to defend himself with reiatsu, he would be standing no chance whatsoever.

 

But he had some time; fourteen days to be exact. And while he didn’t have a plan at the ready for what he should be doing to save his family home, he thought it was best to include a confrontation with the ones whom were going to be responsible of tearing down his property. And that would mean he would need an appointment of some sort. Which is where Kyouraku would come in handy again.

 

If the Captain Commander was actually still on board with his idea in the first place. Because with the other’s only response of, “Don’t worry about it.” he wasn’t so sure anymore. Sousukejust couldn’t understand why the other would suddenly turn against him after being just as enthusiastic about the renovations as he was.

 

Although if he had to be honest, it wasn’t Kyouraku’s huge estate that was on the line here...so why would the older man care in the first place?

 

Dinner was ready but Sousuke didn’t necessarily care to wait on the other, not when he was disappointed in the way Kyouraku handled everything concerning his problems. And the other’s attitude became even worse, when he just casually walked in, sake bottle in hand. He seemed fairly sober as far as Sousuke could tell, but the audacity of the older man to walk in there with a huge smile was already rubbing him the wrong way.

 

As Kyouraku joined him at the table for his meal, he himself was practically finished and he would have left the table without any confrontation whatsoever, if the other wasn’t so keen on conversing with him.

 

Kyouraku showed him a piece of paper from across the table, which Sousuke didn’t even bother to look at while the Captain Commander proudly stated, “I’ve bought a bottle of wine to celebrate.”

 

Which was if anything even more baffling.

 

He looked across from him at said smiling commander, who seemed rather proud of himself.

 

Judging by that self-satisfied expression, the piece of paper probably had something to do with the petition of those Rukon children, Kyouraku had visited Ukitake for an emergency meeting after all.

 

When Kyouraku was about to hand him a glass, Sousuke denied it with a dismissive wave of his hand. “It’s not your estate that they are about to demolish.”

 

The older man paused for a second while pouring himself a glass. “Who said anything about demolition?”

 

He gave the other an expressive stare, “It is widely known that my family lived in it, did you think they were going to make a museum out of it?”

 

At Kyouraku’s, “Who?” he thought the Captain Commander to be drunk, and he was done with any conversation. 

 

Central 46, who else would he be talking about. The ‘law’ of Soul Society, of course.

 

“Due to your doing I have lost the only semblance of inheritance that I had.”

 

At Kyouraku’s dumbfounded, “Ah?” he had just about had it. 

 

So it was no wonder that he wasn’t keen on being any more talkative than necessary. It should have been pretty obvious by now to the other as well. Sure, Sousuke could huff and puff even further about the subject, but complaining wasn't going to deliver him any results, judging by Kyouraku’s ‘no care in the world’ kind of attitude.

 

He remained silent while his companion tried some small talk with him in order to no doubt get him in a better mood again, all in vain.

 

What did Shunsui expect anyways? That Sousuke would still be able to share the joyful news of something that had no value to him whatsoever. Whatever kind of verdict that Ukitake might have had on reforming the schools, it was obviously a positive outcome considering the bottle of wine. But, that still didn't help his own situation...

 

He was obviously not Kyouraku’s priority, which once again confronted him with his obvious delay of plans regarding freedom.

 

When Shunsui was done eating, the older male took to the comfort of his pipe. And once he was gone, Sousuke took a quick peek at the verdict anyways. Just out of sheer curiosity.

 

The contents completely managed to surprise him though. It was still some kind of verdict; a property title to be exact. It claimed that Kyouraku had full rights to Sousuke’s previous home as of today. Even the value of his property was shocking enough, so much so that he immediately followed Kyouraku outside.

 

He thought he might finally receive a price that was worth the amount of when the house was in it’s prime state, but unfortunately every last penny of that huge sum of money would go to Central 46, the ‘rightful’ owners of the estate.

 

“Did you just...”

 

Kyouraku had his back turned to him, in his usual spot of sitting on the edge of the deck, with his feet dipping in the pond. His head cocked just the slightest to give an indicator that he was listening.

 

“....buy my house?”

 

A significant cloud of smoke surrounded the older male suddenly when he puffed out the smoke of his pipe, before a correction of, “The ground, I bought the ground.” followed soon after.

 

“But why?” it made no sense whatsoever to Sousuke, why would Shunsui do this for him? As a noble the other had a thick wallet for sure, but to be buying an entire property for someone else? That seemed ridiculous. Even Sousuke wouldn’t go to such lengths for another if he didn’t get anything in return...

 

Wait a second...

 

“Am I forever in your debt now? Am I supposed to be your property now?”

 

He had no other logical explanation for Shunsui’s overly generous good deed. 

 

A chuckled, “Now why would I think that?” he then glanced back, right at Sousuke to state in the most genuine tone, “I have done it out of the pureness of my heart, I don’t expect anything at all in return.”

 

Which baffled him even more, why would anyone do something for free, especially something of that calibre. It went exceeded his own ideals. Even as a child, the gifts he received from his parents weren’t given to him if he couldn’t prove his outstanding grades. That pure generosity made him automatically assume there was something behind the other’s good intentions, there just had to be. 

 

“Are you then going to bestow **my** property back to me?”

 

“No. The grounds belong to me now, as you can no doubt read on the paper. I’m leasing the use of the building to you. You can make use of and do whatever sort of renovations you want on the property, but I will stay the lawful owner.”

 

He narrowed his eyes. “A contract, I see. And how long is this lease going to last? And doesn’t it normally involve paying the lessor rent to make use of whatever the owner allows the lessee to use?” 

 

“How long?” Shunsui repeated in a contemplative manner while raising his feet out of the water and folding his legs so he sat in lotus pose. Half of his hakama had been pulled up, but it didn’t help preventing the other from getting his clothes wet in that position. “20,000 years seems a reasonable term...”

 

He didn’t know if Kyouraku chose the amount of the lease as a joke, however he even wanted to convey it, it was no laughing matter to Sousuke.

 

“...And I already told you, completely free of charge.”

 

Walking up the deck towards where Shunsui was lounging around, he accused, “It is not free, you are trying to manipulate me so I would feel ashamed for not being able to repay all the favours you’re bestowing upon me-” 

 

It’s the only explanation he could come up with, because that’s exactly how he was beginning to feel. Pressured into doing **something** for the other, which probably involved a scheme to enslave him into working for the older man for the rest of his life.

 

“Oh hold on there.” Shunsui interrupted his raging thoughts. “Who says anything about manipulation, it’s not my intention to get anything out of the deal, Sousuke. Besides helping you in reestablishing a spot into society. I thought I was pretty clear about that.”

 

“What happens after those 20,000 years?” no matter how Sousuke even tried, he could not keep the sarcasm out of his voice when mentioning the exact amount of what was normally his sentence in Muken. He couldn’t help it that he felt just as captured in that moment as when he was tied down in prison.

 

“We’ll have to see then.” was casually stated as if they were talking about the weather. The older male even moved his weight so he could lean back on his side on the deck, lounging around.

 

“So you’re feeling remorseful.” Another speculation that made sense, because he was sure that Kyourakuwas partly to blame for Central 46’s decision. The older male couldn’t keep quiet when drunk.

 

“Remorseful?”

 

He didn’t want to accuse the other directly, Kyouraku was not the enemy, but his drunken escapade on the terrace with his two academy buddies was surely to blame for it all. And naturally he spewed it out in the heat of their ‘argument’, despite not being completely certain of his accusation. 

 

But instead of shame or anger at being exposed, he was confronted with an expression of understanding.

 

“I’m quite the expert with liquor, so unfortunately for those that want to take advantage of me, even when I'm drunk, I’m as silent as a grave. Believe me, I have nothing to do with their decision. My guess is, you haven’t been exactly as careful as you wished to be during your admiration of your family home, remember the house is surrounded by plenty of neighbours. Your parents have been missing for at least a decade as well, judging by the fact that your property belongs to Soul Society now. In all honesty you were trespassing and Central 46 took action.”

 

No, was Central 46 in their right, did the property indeed belong to them now?

 

Shunsui gave him a knowing glance. “Are you familiar with adverse possession? A decade should have been enough time to reclaim your possession.”

 

Well, how could he have known that his parents had abandoned it? He hadn’t heard from them in forever. If he had realised it would have such consequences legally, he would have certainly done something about it. But his plans had never included beginning anew in Soul Society. He was supposed to become the Soul King so he would have ownership of all land.

 

“And unless your parents bought perpetual ground...” the tone alone betrayed Shunsui’s doubt in his statement.

 

To get a perpetual ground lease, one had to be bearing a noble title, no ground in Soul Society was forever sold to a being otherwise.

 

He simply felt defeated in that moment, all that planning and yet he couldn’t have foreseen something like this happening. Though to be honest there were only so many, ‘what ifs’ that he could come up with. He couldn’t be prepared for everything, definitely not when he was always so confident of his victory. Never had he imagined to be stuck in Muken though, that had been his fault. Sure, all of his deeds would have lead him in prison anyways, but he had always considered himself to be immune to getting caught.

 

Failure had never been an option, at least not when fused with the Hogyoku...

 

He got taken out of his own self reflection when Shunsui gave him a pat on the thigh, “Hey, all that talking is making me thirsty, since you’re still standing there, could you get the bottle of wine?”

 

Making his way down the deck, indoors, had the older male yelling after him, “And since that’s cleared up, get yourself a glass as well.”

 

And even though Sousuke had heard Shunsui’s suggestion, he didn’t follow through with it. He was too overwhelmed by his own overlooked failure that he simply took the bottle of wine back outside without giving much thought to Shunsui’s statement.

 

It was only when he took a place next to the other male on the deck that he realised that he could actually use a drink himself. But because he had already made himself comfortable, he decided that Shunsui should share his glass, simple as that.

 

When he took Shunsui’s drink, he heard rather that saw said man being amused about his situation. The small deep chuckle almost lifted the corners of his own lips, revealing his own amusement. 

 

Why should he mope further about it? All of his cards hadn’t been played out yet, he still had an ace up his sleeve regarding Shunsui anyways.

 

The trickling water of the pond always managed to clear his thoughts and even now, after a couple of gulps of the wine, the peaceful atmosphere calmed his mind...or maybe that was the wine. A purple bluish dragonfly even captured his focus for a bit as it landed on a waterlily. He wasn’t even aware of his own interest in the small insect until he got the distinct feeling he was being stared at. 

 

Glancing beside him, he saw Shunsui’s gaze completely zoned in on him apparently. He made a motion with his head, signalling the other to state his sudden fascination.

 

But the older male just shrugged and shook his head. “No, just wondering why you had so little faith in me to begin with. Have I given you any reason at all to doubt me?”

 

“So far you haven’t.” it wasn’t really Kyouraku’s fault, in fact it was his own distrustful nature that made anyone else seem just as unreliable. Why should he just take anyone’s word, when lying came second nature to someone like himself. “It’s just the way you were almost so indifferent regarding the demolition of my....Soul Society’s house, that I automatically made a false assumption.”

 

His companion made a quick confused expression before guessing, “What kind of assumption? That I agreed with the expropriation?...”

 

“I wasn’t really sure actually.” Did that mean he owed Shunsui an apology, because he was so quick to judge in the first place? “Since you visited the Soul King for an emergency meeting, I assumed that you were celebrating in favour of those Rukon kids...”

 

Shunsui’s eyes travelled towards the pond, while a slight quirk of his lips revealed a smirk. “Well, there is an agreement about the petition though, two new schools will be built. And not only non-Rukon children will be allowed to enter. Also the school fee is much lower than the pre-academies,” his eyes traveled back to him. “but, don’t worry, education won’t suffer because of it. And else there are still extracurricular activities available huh.” the wink that followed that statement made him chuckle. 

 

When he took another gulp from his wine glass, Sousuke took notice of its less than full state and offered the last couple of gulps to his partner, though Shunsui shook his head, poured more wine into his glass, before taking the bottle to drink straight from it.

 

Well, that was a way to drink from it as well...and it somehow suited his partner more. 

 

“What about the lease? Why would it last it as long as my sentence?....”

 

Shunsui’s chuckle only heated his cheeks, since the wine wasn’t relaxing him at all when he couldn’t stop his thoughts regarding the subject at all, it seemed. “Because I can’t let you rent the place, as a criminal you’re not allowed to be living anywhere without supervision. So with the help of the lease, I can simultaneously hide the contract as a sort of community service.”

 

Now that made a lot of sense as well...

 

He sighed. Shunsui was bending the laws for him, he was basically doing everything to make his life even more comfortable and all that he had done was make a huge spectacle out of it...

 

He felt more than a little embarrassed for his actions and words. He had judged Kyouraku beforehand, while all that Shunsui had apparently done, was help him... But had Shunsui really expected blind trust, when he had been kind of teasing him with his sentence as well...then again, could he really expect any direct hints from the other?

 

“It’s 19,995 years though, five years have passed already.” he told his companion in a particular stuck up way. His little act though crumbled up in a minute as he glanced at the other’s expression next to him. And the second their eyes locked, they both broke out into laughter.

 

“You think I can still edit that contract?” Shunsui added amusedly.

 

He lounged back, just as much as the lazy older man next to him, “Oh I don’t know,” and he simultaneously made use of his repositioning to subtly scoot a little closer. “Those five extra years with you don’t really scare me off.”

 

Because in his mind, the lease would never last that long in the first place.

 

Shunsui turned on his side, closing another couple of centimeters between them. “Aha?”

 

It was enough for Sousuke to try and capture the other’s lips. He moved his body more towards Shunsui as well, while his head cocked up, ready to try and catch his companion off guard.

 

Although it seemed like Shunsui was also reaching out for him?

 

He anticipated the closure of that last distance while he refocused his attention on Shunsui’s stubble and upper lip.

 

Why had it taken so long again when the older male was such a flirt?

 

He was actually reminded of that pretty quickly when Shunsui backed off at the last second. The disappearance of his glass of wine, out of his hand, made him realise that it had been just a cheap diversion to steal the last bit of the decadent flavour...

 

Determined as he was not to show any disappointment, he still couldn’t help his disgruntled, “Mhf.”

 

While he could have just grabbed a hold of Shunsui’s collar and dived in for a taste either way, he actually decided on leaving the initiative for what it was. Because he secretly enjoyed it when the Captain Commander became needy for him.

 

Thought it seemed that that was not the sort of attention he should be waiting on tonight.

 

Was Kyouraku actually avoiding him? Or had he already been discarded by the famous casanova?

 

He turned on his side as well, observing the one in front of him intently.

 

Shunsui hadn’t wasted a single second to drink the last of the glass’s contents, afterwards the empty glass was put aside, next to an equally as empty bottle. The older male’s eye was fixated straight ahead of him, almost as if he was daydreaming.

 

What had him so attracted to Shunsui suddenly? Was the other’s almost distant behaviour sometimes intentionally done so? Since it only seemed to draw him in more.

 

He wanted Shunsui’s hands on him, he wanted to be the sole attention of the Captain Commander, it was normal, part of his plan actually. But, wanting a kiss or being known as Shunsui’s sweetheart shouldn’t necessarily be a part of it. Or should he rephrase that...he shouldn’t begin to get any genuine feelings for the other. Because the more he spent time with Shunsui, the less his thoughts were focused on Urahara. He should after all be doing all of this with the blond in the back of his mind, since if he became the Soul King, obviously Kisuke couldn’t deny him any longer.

 

Maybe it was just a phase, he had been around Shunsui practically 24/7, it was partially also the reason why he took up calligraphy again; in order to distance himself a bit.

 

He caressed the other’s arm that lay closest to him, lightly stroking the hairs as he used the touch as a way to gain Shunsui’s focus again. And the minute he gained the other’s attention, he questioned, “A penny for your thoughts.”

 

For a second it seemed as if Shunsui was going to give him the true answer of his troubled thoughts, but a subtle shake of the other’s head, including a pitiful smile was all the response he had to be satisfied with. Along with a, “I’m going to bed.”

 

His confused glance was just as much ignored. He tried to look for possible clues that explained Shunsui’s sudden distant behaviour, but he just couldn’t come up with a viable reason.

 

So he followed him back into the estate, up to Shunsui’s room, or doorframe to be exact. And because he wasn’t exactly sure if the other meant it as an invitation or not, he simply went to his own room instead.

 

-0-

 

In the days following that odd behaviour, everything went relatively back to normal. He took up his job again as secretary of the Captain Commander. He just couldn’t quit his job like he initially tended to do, after all the things Kyouraku had done for him, quitting was not an option. And even though he had told Shunsui that the other shouldn’t feel obliged to still pay him a salary, he insisted on it.

 

It still wasn’t much, but the promise of his family home being saved from Soul Society’s claws, diminished his sentiments regarding that drastically.

 

Shunsui even seemed to behave himself a lot more. Whether the other had had a talk with Nanao over work’s general conduct or not, Sousuke found that he actually missed Shunsui’s secretive gropes.

 

As for the renovations, the house transformed in a mere couple of days into exactly what he envisioned it should have ended up looking like. And all thanks to Shunsui again, since the Captain Commander had sent some of his soldiers as helpers. It was all in the guise of renovating Kyouraku’s second home, that served as a sort of community centre for Rukon kids. So of course, no one speculated foul play.

 

He was doing some last minute clean up, by painting the window stills with a wood protective layer, (something that was apparently popular in the human world) when he was surprised from behind by the Captain Commander. 

 

Arms had encircled his waist, and with the coarse hairs decorating those appendages, he immediately knew whom his mystery hugger was. Well, that and Shunsui’s unmistakable musky scent gave him away as well.

 

That distant behaviour evaporated immediately, all of those withdrawals that Shunsui had forced during the week simply had the Captain Commander touching him fervently in order to make up for those lost times. The dam of suppression broke, just like vice-captains completely let loose at the end of a work day on a Friday evening...

 

Strangely enough it was the end of the week as well, although it seemed silly that Shunsui had to wait specifically for the weekend to finally let go again. It was so uncharacteristic...

 

Absolutely nothing of that earlier iron clad perseverance was visible, Sousuke could feel it by the way Shunsui’s strong hands palmed his waist, and the way Shunsui nosed into his neck with a certain intent.

 

“Came to admire the finished product?” he questioned innocently as he took a hold of the older man’s hands, trying in vain to get something more out of Shunsui than a grunt.

 

But he had no time for chitchatting anymore, it was pretty clear what the other was after when his obi came undone swiftly and hands traveled to his naked flesh almost instantly.

 

His neck was practically being munched on, and while he tried to cut off Shunsui’s access with a turn of his head, the older man’s tight grip on his hips prevented him from turning around completely.

 

Sousuke plopped his brush on the ground, (thankfully the ground was covered in plastic anyways) so as to give in to his companion’s need. He shouldn’t complain now, not when he himself had been just as needy the past few days, anticipating the other’s touch. He could always analyse Shunsui’s sudden change of mood later, while he was going to simply enjoy it right now.

 

Those hands travelled along his sides, up his ribs to bypass his nipples, only to end up on his shoulders. He was almost being kept hostage due to the other male’s position behind him. But when Shunsui set his chin on Sousuke’s other shoulder in order to look him somewhat in the eye, not a single word had to be spoken for Sousuke to understand that he was asking for permission.

 

Yet in that single glance he had caught something...a fleeting emotion of grief perhaps? A feeling that certainly shouldn’t be mixed in the heat of the moment and something that he definitely didn’t connect to the jolly old flirt.

 

But he gave a single nod, nonetheless, and that was all that Shunsui needed to carry on. Hands returned to grope at him, while he was almost forced to stay standing in his position, back turned against the older man’s front.

 

He still wasn’t granted a lip lock, Shunsui’s lips stubbornly stayed far away from his own to nip a path along the back of his neck while his kimono was pried off piece by piece. The heat of a tongue travelled back over his shoulder to his neck, only for Sousuke to be surprised by a sharp love-bite in the juncture of his collarbone.

 

So the searing passion had returned? Shunsui’s mark left a sore spot behind that he would probably still feel the next day, and which he would have trouble with in hiding said display of passion from the rest of the world.

 

Maybe he should have given much more thought to Shunsui’s sudden fiery need, but he wasn’t exactly waiting on a deep conversation either when fingers slithered between the sensitive rides of his thighs. Hands teasingly cupped him through his fundoshi, making his breath hitch as the arms around him tightened once more when they slid down again, just past the edge of his underwear.

 

Those palms were so clear in their message, his cock twitched pleasantly as Shunsui’s palms teasingly slid up again to grope at his chest and stomach.

 

His kimono was still only dangling on his left shoulder, ready to fall off completely any second, which happened to be the case when Shunsui’s eager caresses shoved the cloth out of the way.

 

He was standing, completely nude, except for his fundoshi while Shunsui was still fully dressed, plastered against his back. He hadn’t really thought of sullying his new work place with their entwined bodies, though he could always open a few windows anyways to air the place afterwards, the paint was still drying after all.

 

Turning his head in an attempt to gain a kiss, Shunsui refocused from his slick neck to his earlobe instead, skilfully avoiding that sought after lip-lock. And while he unconsciously allowed Shunsui more access to the shell of his ear, the older man’s experienced touch changed to a new destination entirely.

 

Palms gripped the back of his shoulders while warm lips kissed down to the middle of his back. Sousuke was only being guided into position by then, he could have easily escaped to take initiative in order to undress the one behind him as well. Yet, there was something about being explored while he remained so...passive.

 

The room’s darkness due to the setting sun only added to his anticipation.

 

It was somehow exciting.

 

A slick tongue traveling up his spine made him shiver in pleasure, especially when Shunsui’s fingers slithered down simultaneously, ending at the base of his spine, where his palms encircled the beginning of his ass.

 

A squeeze and a certain tug at the cord of his underwear had Sousuke already pulling his fundoshi off himself, before Shunsui could even voice that request.

 

And not a minute later, he was reminded of that pleasurable sensation of kisses down the length of his spine again. And he couldn’t help but squirm as soon as Shunsui reached the small of his back.

 

Slight nervousness set in at that, because those hands squeezed at his ass and Shunsui’s mouth followed its trail down. His own hands weren’t idle by then, he had them ready to take a hold of Shunsui’s soon if that course continued.

 

And his hand shot down immediately when he was forced to bend a little by a strong palm at his lower back. He focused on the wall in front of him, waiting with baited breath. But all that Shunsui did was shush his worries, before palming his ass anyways, even though Sousuke still had a hold of the other’s wrists. His grip tightened when the kisses were lead to the cleft of his ass, and before he could even so much as pry Shunsui’s palms away in order to turn around, the feeling of a slick tongue passing over his most intimate area made him initially tense up completely.

 

Though it didn’t feel weird at all, a little awkward in the beginning, yes, but not bad at all. In fact he came to know that he quite loved the sensation of a tongue down there. His hands let go of the other’s completely, he braced his right hand on his own thigh, since he was in desperate need of something to hold on to, because the prodding at his entrance made him weak in the knees. And his left hand sought leverage in the form of the kneeling man’s head behind him. 

 

“Feels good?” came the murmur right against his hole, and the whispered words caressed the slick area, making him shiver and squirm.

 

“Yes!” he bit back a whimper when Shunsui’s tongue moved right back to it’s destination. He was practically massaging Shunsui’s scalp, trying to get the Captain Commander’s face if possible even closer to him. Strands came lose from their ponytail at his desperate grab, making no doubt a complete mess of the older man’s hair.

 

When a fist also settled around his hard cock, he had difficulty deciding his sense of direction. Shunsui’s tongue felt heavenly, yet, the tight sheath around his need made his hips automatically thrust forwards.

 

His legs were forced to spread a little bit wider as soon as Kyouraku found out about his new pleasure zone, and Sousuke was momentarily dismayed at the fact that that heated tongue left his backside to slide to his balls. Though when the lavish attention concentrated on his sack, all of his protests gladly left his mind.

 

The tight squeeze of Shunsui’s fist had him reopening his eyes and instead of drying paint his focus was drawn to the Captain Commander that had crawled through his spread legs, in order to nip at his balls.

 

The other’s hair was a mess indeed, the eye patch was nowhere to be found for some reason and the good eye was completely entranced by it’s sight, since Shunsui’s point of view stayed directed at his scrotum. Shunsui’s haori was missing as well, while his kosode was completely opened.

 

He hadn’t really heard the other undressing...

 

Sousuke’s thoughts didn’t linger too long on that sentiment when his cock was swallowed down next. He almost went completely to his knees at that, before remembering that the one in front of him actually served as a good leverage.

 

His right hand retreated from his own thigh to set on Shunsui’s shoulder, trying desperately to remain standing on his quaking legs as the slick warmth of Shunsui’s mouth retreated only to surround him once again. Fervent sucking sensations and a squeeze at the base of his cock had him practically pulling out a few strands in order to hold on to something.

 

When the pressure left him all at once, he was momentarily numbed by his still hard erection while the one in front of him stood up to his full height. Shunsui’s towering frame being busy with the motions of discarding his hakama and underwear made him silently anticipate what would be the logical continuation of their foreplay.

 

He almost stood there, looking lost as the other made a makeshift futon with layers of their clothes right next to them, before a nudge towards said pile of fabric urged him to lay down.

 

That little bit of apprehension from before returned. Shunsui had been ready and had come to him with only one purpose, since that bottle of oil in the other’s hand was not usually present in Shinigami garb.

 

So Shunsui had been completely prepared and had planned this night most likely.

 

He welcomed Shunsui’s body on top of him, but due to the fact that he couldn’t completely clear his mind, he remained rather passive, not really embracing the other. Which of course alerted Shunsui immediately.

 

His chin was raised by a couple of fingers and as he looked into that grey eye, he knew he shouldn’t even expect a kiss. But distraction was still provided in the form of kisses and nips along his jaw and cheeks, before that attention drifted off to his neck once more.

 

He tried to relax his mind, the rocking motions of Shunsui against him were familiar enough, at least to his own cock...

 

The sweet heat of a tongue down his sternum, all the way to his belly button had him automatically locking his hands behind Shunsui’s head. His legs also spread of their own accord when that mouth neared his crotch, which is when he had to regrettably let go of the one on top of him when the Captain Commander removed his last piece of clothing; his already opened kosode.

 

It was hastily rolled into a rumpled ball before it was placed under his ass. The elevated postion on his lower half didn’t make sense at first, but when Shunsui covered his body again, the new position of his cock cleared that up pretty fast. Shunsui’s eager need was practically nestled into his ass, and the rocking motions continued against him. 

 

Though the motions didn’t flow as fluidly when their lower halves were obstructed by dry skin. Setting out to help Shunsui at least in that part, and take initiative for once, Sousuke opened the oil, spread some over the palm of his hand before squeezing his way between their bodies on the lookout for Shunsui’s cock.

 

He encircled the hard flesh, receiving another hickey in the process, as he rubbed the oil over his length in teasing strokes. The thrusts in between his legs sped up, fucking repeatedly into his fist.

 

Grabbing a good hold of that hard cock had Shunsui stopping his furious marking of his neck to look him in the eye again. He leaned up on one elbow and when he was sure that he had the other’s complete focus he guided Shunsui’s tip inside.

 

He was ready, he wanted it as much as the one on top of him, so he simply took matters into his own hands to close the last space between them. He was at least certain that he could also guide the pace this way. At least for the initial breach.

 

But Shunsui was gentle, he was attentive of not only his own needs, but his partner’s as well. His own hand was carefully pried off of Shunsui’s hard need, only to be guided to his own twitching one. 

 

The discomfort slowly ebbed away with his strokes and the older male’s gentle nudges into him. A whispered warm breath of, “Does it feel good?” over the shell of his ear, made him breath out in partial relief and give a nod of approval, since for all of Shunsui’s past romances, he had expected it to be rough and quick.

 

Letting himself fall back down, he allowed Shunsui to slide completely on top of him again. The angle changed, along with the depth that Shunsui reached inside of him and Sousuke embraced the other tightly as an immediate reflex. 

 

It set off a chain of reactions, Shunsui’s thrusts quickened just the slightest while the other’s elbow came to rest right next to his face, so the one on top of him could entrap his gaze intently.

 

He clutched at strong shoulder blades, breathing a series of gasps in the form of Shunsui’s name. Because Shunsui’s big cock was filling him to the base with every thrust of those hips. A particular deep push into him had his hold slipping, so he settled for letting one of his hands rest on Shunsui’s heart instead. The wild beating underneath his palm quickened even more as their eyes were still focused on each other.

 

He smiled, a sneaky grin that he couldn’t help throughout it all. Because, wasn’t this the progress he had been waiting on all along? Wasn’t this the other’s ultimate show of desire that would ultimately unwind in love, since that’s how it ended every time? 

 

Giving himself over again to the enraptured bliss, he hooked his legs around the older male’s ass. And Shunsui straightened up a bit and locked him in place as well by encircling his thighs with both hands in order to thrust into him with a sudden certain frenzy.

 

He didn’t need to reach down anymore to grab a hold of himself when they were both sticky with sweat, his erection therefore slid pleasantly between their plastered bodies. The precise drilling of Shunsui against the right spot was only a godsend at that point, before it exploded before his eyes. Euphoria had him smoothening the rub down even more when he squirmed as his orgasm hit full force. 

 

Shunsui had flattened himself completely on top of him by then, face buried in his neck again as he kept hammering into him, until he too reached his peak.

 

He had expected the aftermath to be just as quick from then on, since he knew from experience that Shunsui was itching for a smoke. But the older male actually kept lying on top of him until the temperature in the room considerably cooled off and it was time to put on some clothes on their damp skin.

 

Shunsui lazily slipped on his hakama, searched for his eye patch and of course his trusted pipe afterwards. Though he remained seated on the mess of his shitagi, kosode and haori. Sousuke’s kimono on the other hand had disappeared from the pile, it was only draped over his shoulders, but it served as some warmth after their activities.

 

It was quiet between them after that.

 

He was sitting up, while the Captain Commander lounged right next to him, smoking his pipe. His confident victory almost fell in shambles, since with his mind cleared from the heated fog, he remembered Shunsui’s fleeting romances.

 

Hadn't Shunsui just gotten what he wanted? And wasn’t this it for him? Sure, he wasn’t exactly shoved off of the pile of clothes, along with a gruff, ‘That was nice.’ this time. But, Shunsui hadn’t made any effort to lay him back down either. He didn’t necessarily want any cuddles after sex either, but the least he wanted was some sort of conversation between them!

 

Guess he had the honours of starting that conversation because the other was apparently still lost into bliss of their aftermath.

 

He glanced back at Shunsui, his eyes were closed, truly enjoying his smoke while his legs were crossed over each other.

 

What could he say now, without seeming too desperate?

 

Yet it was Shunsui that broke their stifling silence, “Tomorrow’s Jushiro’s bonding ceremony.”

 

He looked back in front of him in an instant.

 

It was like a bucket of ice cold water had been poured down his back. Those words immediately explained Shunsui’s distant behaviour and his need for him tonight.

 

He was practically used in order to forget his precious Ju-chan.

 

When it became clear that his companion was still talking, he realised he had tuned out a great deal of it, caught in his own troubled thoughts.

 

“....the ceremony, but you are allowed to come to the feast in the evening.”

 

Why? So he could pity the other and swallow his own emotions that felt as if they were just crushed...

 

A sudden jerk of the clothing under him, alerted him to the fact that Shunsui was now standing up, retrieving the rest of his clothes from the pile. And when he redressed completely, the question of, “You’ll be coming, right?” was directed at him in an almost gentle tone, the kind of tone that could have easily be connected to the expression of grief that he had seen earlier in Shunsui’s eyes.

 

He didn’t answer that, he was still too...hurt by the other’s blatant disrespect that he couldn’t trust his own voice at that moment. And in all honesty, he wasn’t even sure of his response anyways.


	11. Chapter 10

**Chapter ten**

 

The ceremony was held at the Kuchiki estate, it was the perfect location to invite the most important people to. A reception was to be held exactly after the bonding, and with the reputation that the Kuchiki clan upheld, a noble had to look no further for any formal occasion. Not to mention that the garden served as the best background for pictures.

 

Shunsui had to agree with the choice of Jushiro for the Kuchiki estate, his best friend had after all always loved his tea-time sessions with the Kuchiki leader. It had been practically a second home at times, next to Shunsui’s of course. 

 

Guests would consist of aristocratic families, main branch only though. Not really the couple’s choice necessarily, but this was a royal bonding, so no regular guests were allowed for the ceremony itself. 

 

The schedule would be as follows; dinner after the reception would be held at a remote location outside of the Noble district. It was a popular dining hall that was used for all sorts of grand feasts. A lot more people were invited for that occasion, since all of the Gotei 13 would be welcome; but again, the captains and vice-captains alone for safety reasons.

 

After dinner, the newly bonded couple had to fulfil their duty of the bedding rituals. All noble and certainly royal bonding ceremonies had to be followed by a fruitful consummation. Especially for the Soul King, since the right to the throne would now be fulfilled throughout one’s lineage.

 

When the royal couple had left, the rest of the Gotei were invited, including Sousuke. Which was made possible due to Shunsui asking Jushiro specifically for permission to invite him over.

 

Thus, a long day of festivities was ahead of him.

 

But first things first; he had to see Jushiro. And he knew exactly where to find him. He hurried through the hustle and bustle of the Kuchiki attendants, so he could sneak into the changing area.

 

He was stopped from entering by a security member, not that he blamed the man, since he was merely doing his job. And his angel rescued him by basically telling the young man that it was okay for Shunsui to enter.

 

There his one true love stood, fitting the description of the endearment he always called the other exactly. The light colours of the kimono only confirmed that.

 

His Ju-chan wasn’t wearing traditional bonding attire at all. The coat consisted of a pastel cyan, almost creme coloured fabric. While the kimono underneath was white, bringing out those long locks of Jushiro even more, even though part of it was held up by a silver hair ornament. And just underneath the kimono, around his collar, the lapels of cyan coloured underwear was visible.

 

He looked simply breathtaking, so it was no wonder that he was completely mesmerised for more than a second. It also didn’t help that the scenery behind his angel was the garden of the Kuchiki estate, and the sight of a Sakura tree in full bloom, shedding some of its petals only enhanced the vision. He just stood there in awe, silently admiring his angel before him.

 

And when Jushiro spoke up with a surprised, “Shunsui,” his eyes broke away from the enticing sight for a minute in order to take a few steps to close their distance entirely.

 

He grasped the other’s chin lightly, so he could admire his angel from up close one last time.

 

It hadn’t been his intention to declare his love for his Ju-chan, he wouldn’t disrespect Kiyomi like that. Neither would it benefit him in any way or form if he did confess to it, because he knew about Jushiro’s love for women now. He wouldn’t stand a chance whatsoever. Not to mention that he had been ages too late, if he had wanted even a small sliver of chance with Jushiro, granted he would have had to make it known much earlier, decades to be exact. He couldn’t expect the other to change his preferences, just for him.

 

It would be selfish, something he never was.

 

So, he did what he had to do; he tilted Jushiro’s head down a little, before giving him a fleeting peck right on the forehead. And that was it, he had said his goodbye. Not to his best friend, but to his love for him.

 

And along with the departing words of, “I wish you all the happiness in the world.” he left his angel to his musings in the changing room, because he did need some space between them for a little bit to come to terms with his own decision. 

 

He had pondered a lot about his last words in the previous week. And somehow he favoured a short little message above a long cryptic declaration that masked his love for Jushiro anyhow. Somehow he had already accepted what he had come to do today, at least mentally so. Although it remained difficult to do it up front in person.

 

But, he was content, he could finally begin to move on from his unrequited love. The ceremony actually helped him to be honest, it was official that way, a reason to calm his mind -and heart- about Jushiro’s unavailability.

 

Next, he asked to have a word with Kiyomi. She allowed his request when she was fully dressed as well. She wore similar colours to Jushiro, although her kimono had of course a lot more feminine elements to it. The long sleeves, that almost reached the ground, for one, although that reminded Shunsui more about the courtesans in Inuzuri -they wore a lot less underneath though.

 

She seemed perhaps a little less surprised about his sudden appearance, he could see it even through the veil.

 

“Have you come to warn me?”

 

“More or less.” It was mostly standard when one’s best friend decided to tie the knot...yet, he didn’t want to scare her either, he just wanted to make it known how lucky she was. Chances were though, that she was already aware of all that.

 

“You’re going to have the most pure and kind hearted man there is out there, so I could say beware if you do something that will break his heart. But, I think I don’t need to say that out loud to you anymore.” he wished her the same sort of happiness that he had wished on his angel before he finally made his way to the hall where the ceremony would start.

 

Which was still the hardest moment of the day. Partially because he sat in the front row, by Jushiro’s orders. The exchange of vows and their love for each other was therefore hard to avoid. But just like his personal goodbye to Jushiro, it somehow healed his heartache. Perhaps not exactly right at that moment, but it made way, room for someone else. Since his best friend would never entirely disappear from the place in his heart, but he would merely shrink to the spot of a love he would never forget.

 

It was after all also a validation that the two in front of him were truly in love, and that whatever happened, as long as his Jushiro was happy, that was all that mattered in the end.

 

His view of the other would therefore have to change, since he would still be able to visit Jushiro and reminisce of the good old days. But he couldn’t see the other as his, he resolved that his Ju-chan was more than the label of a possession that he couldn’t let go of. He had taken a step aside for his brother’s love, and would do the same again.

 

During the reception, he specifically stayed away from all alcohol. He didn’t want any drunk confessions to ruin the day. He also remained surprisingly cheerful throughout everyone’s celebration of the royal couple. As he said before; there were worse things that he survived without a drop of alcohol.

 

Dinner on the other hand didn’t allow him to stay at a great distance from Jushiro, because he was seated right next to the bonded couple. And surprisingly what did he know, it wasn’t even so bad. Their conversation wasn’t constantly focused on the other’s new beginnings, it was actually like the good old days; gossiping...well, evaluating the promotion of anyone and taking a gander at their love lives. The latter was specifically Shunsui’s favourite subject.

 

Until the focus averted to him abruptly.

 

“I actually would have loved to see your community project.”

 

The fact that the expropriation was turned around so fast into Shunsui buying the land, was without a doubt all thanks to his Ju-chan’s voice. Central 46 couldn’t oppose the Soul King as long as they couldn’t thoroughly justify their reasons for doing so. Even if the Aizen family had inhabited the house decades ago, that wasn't enough for them to go against Jushiro.

 

And definitely not in the guise of the house being used as a community project for poor children. And if there was one thing Jushiro was a fervent advocate of...

 

“You can always come down to take a look, I’m sure that would properly motivate the kids to do their best in school.”

 

The almost sneaky smile of his angel temporarily turned the other’s face in a little devil, because he just knew by the expression that that was not the answer Jushiro had been waiting for.

 

“I was talking about Aizen-san.”

 

It was whispered, since that name was still somewhat of a taboo to most, especially for the elite at their head table. No doubt they had the slightest inkling that he hadn’t bought it specifically for that, but they couldn’t prove it. The ground was bought with his own money, he was declared the owner of everything, plus he invested into the renovations with the help of his own division. So, in no way shape or form was Sousuke involved. Except for teaching the kids calligraphy, which the contract described accurately as community work. Sousuke wouldn’t receive a single penny for his volunteering act whatsoever, and that made it even more impossible for Central 46 to suspect Shunsui’s actual intentions for the building.

 

“I’m not sure if that would have been such a good idea.”

 

Keeping Jushiro and Sousuke separate was purely done for his best friend’s safety, which would always remain his priority.

 

“I would have loved to thank him.”

 

He turned a little in his seat, so he could look Jushiro completely in the eyes in order to gauge for the true reason behind that sentence.

 

Thank him for what exactly?

 

Shouldn’t he himself get that honour instead? He was the one whom helped Sousuke. Which he didn’t need any thanks for to be honest, since he simply did what he had to do. Sousuke had proved that he could adapt to society’s norms and even wanted to do extra by volunteering for Rukon kids. So it was only natural that he kept Sousuke on that right track, before the younger male got it in his head again to stray.

 

“You haven’t touched a single drop of alcohol yet.”

 

He chuckled, him staying sober wasn’t exactly caused by Sousuke's help. At least not today, but, there was some truth to the other’s observation, because yes, he did drink less than before.

 

Maybe that was also secretively the reason why he did everything for the younger male; he wanted to keep Sousuke happy, so Sousuke wouldn’t have to change caretakers again. And that inevitably meant that Shunsui could enjoy the company of his ‘project’.

 

In that aspect, he had to admit that he was a little selfish. Though, it was thanks to Sousuke, since the other was truly something else... 

 

All in all, the dreaded day that he had been avoiding dealing with confrontation of since finding out Jushiro would bond, turned out to be not so bad. So saying his actual goodbye when the royal couple ascended back to the Royal Realm wasn’t as melodramatic as some guests’ drunken wails.

 

And near the evening of the feast he was pleased to see the arrival of a guest that he had secretly anticipated the whole day; Sousuke.

 

Aizen, of course, wasn’t allowed near the main area of the dining hall; the place where all of the elite were seated. But, Shunsui could spy on the other, watch his companion disappear somewhere into the back of the hall.

 

He was unaware of his own wide smile that unconsciously decorated his face, when someone suddenly addressed, “Have you seen your conquest of the night?”

 

Little did that person know that he had already conquered that territory. And he himself was actually surprised by the fact that he was far from done with exploring that terrain.

 

He couldn’t describe what he felt for Sousuke, neither was he actually entirely easy going about it either. He couldn’t say that he was in love, and he was sure the same could be said for his companion, but there was that...excitement when interacting with Sousuke, something that he definitely welcomed these days with open arms.

 

And excitement was the correct term to use indeed, because he was in a way endangering not only himself, but the whole of the Seireitei.

 

He was after all, not allowed to love anyone.

 

Not because of Jushiro, but because of his curse; the key to his heart. The expression had always been a figurative means to address his curse, since the disaster of the previous key that lay into his heart was figured out by that smart deviant pretty quickly. And the way Sousuke had easily escaped his seals in Muken without Shunsui having even undone them, spoke of the failure of that method.

 

So, after the war, Shunsui had accepted a new form of sealing Sousuke’s pressure. His one love had been Jushiro, and at that time he hadn't even thought of discarding his deeply set emotions for his angel, because absolutely no one could replace him. The thought of him ever opening his heart to another was therefore impossible, and that’s when he accepted the curse of forever holding on to his one true love, so no one else could ever have the chance of opening his heart. He was in other words stuck with his cursed love.

 

Because if he did dare to love anyone else, it would mean that his curse would be lifted from his heart, and in so the collar around Sousuke’s neck would break loose immediately, along with his pressure. And that would equal doomsday in the eyes of everyone else in the Seireitei. 

 

Maybe an easy task in the eyes of anyone else, but Shunsui had always ever loved that one person, for decades, so there would simply be no way anyone could change that. But it’s not like he gave anyone the chance anyways with his strict rules of one-nightstands; his fleeting love.

 

But,... Sousuke...had managed to reform his rules regarding that unknowingly. And it somehow evoked a thrill inside of him, a thrill to see how far he could bend those rules until it became dangerous.

 

Let it be said that he didn’t view Aizen as a game, but more like a challenge. A challenge that had managed to excite his mundane life.

 

And Aizen proved his fascination once again.

 

The sudden raised voices of his dinner mates had him paying attention to what caused the spike in vocality at the beginning of the table. And he was met by the sight of Sousuke striding exactly in his direction. Now, he didn’t attack anyone, so that didn’t directly warrant the younger male being apprehended instantly. But, the fact that he just shoved past the ones whom dared to block his path was daring enough as it was. Testing the patience of those he needed to appease was never a good idea, but since when did Aizen abide to that?

 

He called out that it was okay, that Sousuke likely wanted to ask him something, just to give the younger male a chance to get through the most stubborn of elite.

 

When his companion finally reached him, Shunsui was asked something indeed, in fact it was actually demanded, “Fuck me.” in a whispered drawl. The way Sousuke then strode past him, right out of the hall was minutely enthralling, until he realised that he had to answer a couple of questions from his dinner mates.

 

Though the only excuse Shunsui could come up with, was; “Emergency, don’t worry, I’ll deal with it.” and he followed hot on the heels of his delinquent. He would have been stuck with a one track mind, if it wasn’t for the fleeting sight of a particular couple on the dance floor.

 

And his fervent fever for Sousuke was doused for just a split second.

 

Still, he couldn’t keep the younger brunet from jumping him the second he rounded the corner outside. His back hit the side of the building at the sudden surprise attack. Well,... it was actually the fault of those needy nips on his earlobe that completely caught him off guard.

 

Sousuke’s sudden initiative regarding fooling around was simply his weakness. And his partner likely took advantage of that, considering the situation. 

 

The younger brunet’s hand palmed his cock almost immediately, grabbing his twitching length with a certain intent. While Sousuke’s second appendage was eagerly rubbing his body as if he couldn’t hurry up to shove his clothing out of the way soon enough.

 

But when Sousuke sank down on his knees, Shunsui had to put a stop to their hasty loving.

 

He had never backed down from a quickie in a risky place, yet he knew that doing it with Sousuke, the consequences of getting caught with said brunet, would be a lot more damaging than when he would have been caught with someone else.

 

Not that he necessarily wanted anyone else at that moment.

 

Plus there was the fact that there was an underlying reason for Sousuke’s sudden need. The sight of Kisuke and Yoruichi plastered together on the dance-floor, slow-dancing, was no doubt something that had triggered Sousuke. And so his partner was likely looking to forget what he had seen with the help of Shunsui.

 

As he hauled up the younger male from his kneeling position on the floor, Sousuke sadly didn’t instantly seem to get the message and an onslaught of kisses and touchy grasps at his chest followed soon after.

 

He hadn’t worn his kimono in his personal traditional way by opening the lapels to expose half of his torso, not on this special day. But, with his companion’s urgency to get hot and heavy, more than the upper half of his body threatened to be exposed again.

 

Yet it was only when he stopped the needy youngster a second time that Sousuke pushed away from him with an accusing, “You had your fun, right?!” to which he then simply turned around without giving Shunsui a single glance back.

 

It’s like the other’s mood shifted as badly as the weather suddenly seemed to turn around. Clouds covered the clear skies and everything seemingly turned a little somber with the grey colours up above.

 

He followed Sousuke immediately, but after having tried to halt the furious brunet once and gaining quite the spectacle with Sousuke’s rather violent tendencies of literally slapping his arm away, he smartly kept some distance between them.

 

Of course, he could have easily overpowered Sousuke, though with the extra security on the streets today, the two of them...or more like Sousuke would immediately get negative attention, since he was already seen as unruly. 

 

And there really was no reason to make this any more difficult on his partner than it already was. Sousuke was by the looks of it walking straight back to his estate anyways.

 

So he waited, until the youngster reached the garden of his estate before finally getting a hold of him. Sousuke still did his best to push away his help, literally. Although now, it didn’t matter if he used force to make sure he got Sousuke under control. His personal guards would only ever interfere if they got the impression that he couldn’t handle the traitor. They wouldn't come to Sousuke’s rescue however. Simply put he could even abuse his houseguest, since those were one of the other privileges he had as a noble, not only because of his title as Captain Commander. 

 

Luckily for Aizen, he never was one to abuse his power.

 

But he did have to grab a forceful hold of Sousuke’s biceps in order to shake some sense into his not so sensible companion right now. And not even at the other’s request did he let go of Sousuke, not while he behaved as he did.

 

“When you calm down first.”

 

Which Sousuke seemed to take in immediately, since the struggles from his partner stopped in an instant, though when he gave the younger man some leeway, Sousuke snapped, “Did you change your mind, mmh? Do you want me now anyways?”

 

He couldn’t place the other’s expression, but it was definitely tainted with anger towards him, which he honestly couldn’t understand. Hadn’t he been there the last few days to catch Sousuke whenever Soul Society dropped the bomb of the expropriation? 

 

“No.” what he did understand at that moment, was that he needed to handle the situation first.

 

Sousuke pushed him back a step, and even though it lacked pressure, Shunsui still gave him his distance. Perhaps that would put him better at ease, instead of cornering Sousuke.

 

“Don’t tell me you’re pitying me? Don’t, I don’t need your reasons for your-” along with the vitriol came the first drops of rain, after a long heatwave, it finally cooled down in a second. 

 

It’s also then that he interrupted Sousuke’s heated accusations with the only words that would get through to him, “You need to let go of him.”

 

Confusion and outrage cleared up the last of Sousuke’s unreadable expression in an instant due to the magic words, “What?!”

 

“You heard me, Kisuke is happy with Yoruichi, you and him are long since over, give him a break and let it go-”

 

He was however just as quickly interrupted, “No! I won’t.”

 

Sousuke’s statement was far more obstinate, as if he was turning against him because he seemingly chose ‘Kisuke’s side’. He then physically turned around, back facing Shunsui to walk up the deck towards the backdoor of his estate. 

 

But this was no simple walkaway to escape the sudden downpour, no, Sousuke sought an excuse to escape from the harsh truth. Something Shunsui himself had done for so long as well.

 

He could see it, he understood it. And all he wanted to do was to simply help Sousuke get over that...hurt, because acceptance was the quickest bandaid to even get a chance to heal.

 

Stopping Sousuke a second time, he barely had time to prepare for an incoming smack right in the face from his lovely partner... the steady fall of rain had his sight already blurry, especially considering he only had one good eye.

 

“Let go of me!!”

 

Confrontation made his companion wild. Yet, he didn’t give up, couldn’t, because he wanted Sousuke to forget Kisuke, for the sake of the blond himself, since he had his own life now, but also for the sake of giving Sousuke the chance to get on with his life. He was after all on the right track. And Shunsui wanted to keep it that way.

 

“Sousuke, it has been what decades?! There has been someone else for just as long, someone that stuck by Kisuke’s side and didn’t abandon him.”

 

He had to admit those were harsh words, but that was exactly what Sousuke needed to hear in order for it to all get through to him.

 

Dark eyes narrowed even further, no doubt partially due to the rain that troubled their sight. “Why are you telling me all of that? Aren’t you just as much at fault, mhh?! What about your precious Ju-chan?”

 

At the mention of Jushiro, Sousuke’s eyes flashed venomously his way, as if he thought he had him exactly where he wanted him to be. But there was no way that Shunsui would give himself over like that, mentioning his angel wouldn’t gain Sousuke the upper hand, not anymore at least.

 

“I did what I had to do, I let him go and accepted the fact that he loves someone else.”

 

Somehow that left an impression on Sousuke, because there was a sudden silence as if he was truly surprised by his revelation.

 

Not that comprehension followed soon after...

 

“So? Ukitake never loved you, it can’t be compared to the love Kisuke held for me.”

 

Sousuke unknowingly just uncovered his own disillusion.

 

“Held, exactly.” The slight shove he received was weak, it didn’t even move him a centimeter, it simply felt as if his partner had somehow already given up. “You forced him to choose for someone else, you pushed him away with your treachery, don’t you understand that?”

 

“Who gave you the right to meddle into my affairs?! In fact, what makes you think that you can dictate my whole life now?!”

 

Rage is all he got. Aizen knew he was right, the denial only took the upper hand, because the younger brunet was afraid of facing that truth, the truth that he knew all along.

 

As he took a step into Sousuke’s direction, the youngster backed off just as quickly.

 

“If you didn’t want me meddling into your affairs than you shouldn’t have bothered telling me about them. But I think we both know why you told me anyways.”

 

“Oh please...”

 

A pitiful attempt at sounding condescending and frankly he had enough of the confrontation, so he made a hasty decision of showing how much he actually cared about him. Because he wanted to make it clear to Sousuke that he wasn’t punishing him by reminding him of Kisuke. His action was just a little too... hasty.

 

He simply reached for Sousuke’s face and even though the other backed off a little, he grabbed the back of the smaller man’s head in order to hold him still anyways, and then he kissed him.

 

He locked their lips softly. But in the pouring rain, all he could think of was the other’s heat that radiated off of him. The wetness that had drenched them completely from head to toe, creeping in their clothes had him suddenly clinging to his lovely for some warmth.

 

But that sweet moment was over all too soon. Sousuke hadn’t pushed him away this time, he simply fell apart at his feet. The younger brunet knelt on the wet floorboards, staring in front of him while holding a hand over his mouth.

 

It frankly made Shunsui a little worried. The last thing he had wanted was for his companion to be getting confused.

 

He squatted down in front of the other, and as he silently watched the younger brunet, he received a muffled, “Why did you do that?”

 

Even though he had heard it perfectly, he still pulled his companion’s hand away and he covered the other’s chilly and damp palm in his own. “I’m going to be honest here, since you deserve the truth, I’m not really sure myself.”

 

Sousuke looked right at him, or actually through him. His stare was rather blank, Shunsui would have rather even be faced with anger than that...

 

“But, I meant to do that; kiss you I mean.”

 

Sousuke’s dark eyes focused on their entwined hands. “I have to settle with being your comfort again, as your rebound after-”

 

Comprehension dawned on him this time. “Oh no! Is that what...?” Sousuke had thought, that last night had been done in order to forget Jushiro? Here he had been accusing Sousuke previously of doing that with Kisuke at the back of his mind, but all along he himself had set the wrong example... “No, that’s not what **that** was. Certainly not.”

 

Their gazes connected again, and although he still couldn’t read the other’s expression, he was sure that the fear behind Sousuke’s initial thoughts had cleared up.

 

“I mean, I don’t know what this is...” he admitted, “but, I’m sure we can come to a conclusion together at some point.”

 

Whatever that conclusion even was, though for the moment the answer couldn’t be love. Because however honest and pure Aizen even seemed in their interactions, the thought of the younger brunet regaining his powers again, was a scary thought.

 

He appreciated the small smile he received in return and before Sousuke got it in his lovely head to rekindle their...passion for each other, he tightened his grip around the hand in his palm to haul the brunet up alongside him so they could first warm up inside.


	12. Chapter 11

 

 

Sousuke enjoyed the tantalising caresses along his spine as he laid across Shunsui’s lap. The way he was positioned, he sure looked as if he was awaiting to be spanked, though the aftermath of their busy day (and night) on Shunsui’s futon had them simply lazing around.

 

To say that they had spent the entire Sunday in bed was an understatement, they had some catching up to do after all, especially now that he would finally kiss the other... 

 

He sighed in pleasure as Shunsui’s warm fingers slid down his lower back, those digits could work magic on his body (and inside as well.) Laying his head back down on his folded arms, he glanced at the Captain Commander; Shunsui lounged back against his makeshift pillows as he was smoking his pipe. After their third round, Sousuke allowed the older man his break so he could inhale his nicotine. He would have rather had the other do that outside, but as he was rather comfortable, he didn’t so much mind the smell of the smoke.

 

Besides, he didn’t want those relaxing touches to stop. The warm hand wandered sometimes, as it always did, but the older man was down for now, Sousuke was sure of that.

 

For the first time since being placed under Shunsui’s care, he was sure that he had Kyouraku exactly where he wanted him to be; Jushiro was now completely out of the picture, and Shunsui had finally accepted him, that kiss betrayed it after all.

 

But what now? Where did he go from here?

 

Shunsui hadn't confessed his love yet, since the Captain Commander was likely as confused as he was about their...situation. Actually, why hadn’t he himself made an end to it yet? He wasn’t yet close enough to get that key, Shunsui still didn’t trust him with all of his heart. But he was closer than ever in getting that far.

 

But that was the obstacle in his plans; it threatened to become too close. He already struggled with himself, so could he really afford risking becoming too personal with Shunsui?

 

A stinging slap on his ass got him out of his musings as Shunsui mumbled a husky, “I couldn’t help myself, I’ve got an amazing view after all.”

 

He hid his grin behind his folded arms, so he could give the older brunet a disapproving glance, “Do you now?” while he repositioned himself a little, which included wiggling his ass in a way that was sure to entice Shunsui.

 

His partner was quick to notice his teasing and a firm grip on one of his cheeks, plus the swelling of a certain part underneath his stomach told Sousuke that Shunsui was likely not as tired as he hoped...

 

“You are insatiable, aren't you?”

 

“You thought this old man was already done for the day?”

 

He made a discontented noise while Shunsui’s fingers slid between the crack of his ass, although the reason for it was anything but the promise of a next round. “Don’t say it like that, it makes you sound ancient.”

 

All he received was a not so innocent grin in return and a promising, “I’ll show you how ancient I am.” before he felt Shunsui’s fingers working their way in and even though he croaked out a warning sound that should have resembled Shunsui’s name, it came out as a shuddering breath instead. Which was also the only sensible sound that still came out of his mouth afterwards for the remainder of that night.

 

-0- 

 

 

Monday morning.

 

Shunsui never particularly hated Monday mornings, and definitely not that morning. And no, it wasn’t because he had a wonderful weekend. But, because the beginning of the week in his division normally never included;

 

A happy go lucky Nanao. She should normally be stressed out. Monday meant the introduction of new deadlines and completing unfinished work. Actually to be honest, Nanao was always all year around stressed...it didn't matter which day of the week it was, so that made her ‘no care in the world’ kind of attitude one of a kind. 

 

Then there was the working force of his division; clearly still hungover from the weekend. Which was odd as he should normally be the only one in his division that should still be a little woozy from the previous night. Even some of his seated officers still looked quite drunk...

 

Though he cut them some slack, considering the special weekend that had passed.

 

But perhaps the oddest sight that morning was that his lovely looked rather...agitated? The file Sousuke had in his hands for the past ten minutes was still being stared at as if it was one of those magazines from the human world that contained nude photos.

 

“Nervous?” 

 

Sousuke suddenly looked up at him and nodded faintly.

 

He motioned Sousuke closer and as soon as the younger brunet shuffled near his desk, he grabbed the file, threw it aside so he could pull the other on his lap with his now free hand. “This isn’t the first time that you have taught a class.”

 

“It’s not about teaching them, it’s just that the calligraphy lesson will only last from 10 til 12o’clock.” 

 

He chuckled lightly as that lovely face scrunched up in a frown. “Well, wasn’t that how you scheduled it? You agreed that children’s attention spans only reach that far-”

 

“I wasn’t finished talking yet.”

 

He raised a brow while trying to hide his own amusement. Really, Sousuke could be a real drama queen sometimes.

 

“There are only four children in my group.”

 

“Isn’t that enough? Better a small group so you can keep an eye on those brats.”

 

“I was expecting a lot more interest in calligraphy, Shunsui.”

 

Well, this was also one of the only side lessons that was scheduled outside of the Rukon district for kids of said district. Even the additional cheaper schools that were being built were probably never even going to be fully booked. It was sad to say, but it was generally known that those children weren’t exactly keen on education in the first place.

 

But the option would be there, and that was the most important evolution in their system.

 

So what did Sousuke expect? The enthusiasm of the four kids that signed up (which were four of the little group of protesters) should be called a succes rather than a failure.

 

“Perhaps with your magnificent skills in enthralling people your impression on the kids will guarantee you more students after a while. Publicity works best throughout the good experience of others.”

 

The cynical look Sousuke shot him betrayed that the youngster wasn’t completely convinced of his encouraging speech. 

 

“I can't understand their disinterest if that happened to be the case though, I mean, I would love nothing more than to watch you for two hours straight.”

The weight on his lap disappeared and he received an immediate answer of an exaggerated sigh from his partner at his words. So before Sousuke could walk away from him, he halted the other’s escape with a tug on his wrist.

 

“Now for the word of advice; didn’t you do this because calligraphy was your passion? It shouldn’t matter then how many students or...enthusiasts you get. As long as you’re enjoying yourself while teaching a bunch of brats to draw pretty kanji,” he totally deserved the sneer he got for that. “you should be content.”

 

The sneer luckily lessened a little, he always could save himself with his smooth tongue...

“You’re going to do good, Sousuke.” he kissed the last of that frown away before he sent his lovely to his calligraphy lesson. Since, it wouldn’t do for the younger brunet to be late for his first class...

 

He threw himself on his paperwork afterwards. It somehow amazed him how much more work he got done now that Sousuke wasn’t around to distract him...

 

“I’m going to have to agree with our Soul King.”

 

Other sort of distractions still walked around though, in the form of his niece. She browsed pleasantly through the pile of his finished documents.

 

“Ah?”

 

“He’s having a good influence on you.”

 

Well, he was doing his best to finish all of his current documents so he could enjoy the afternoon off. He had something planned for him and Sousuke. But, he couldn’t agree more with his niece, although it slightly bothered him that he was still a hot topic between Nanao and his Ju-chan.

 

“Gossiping behind my back...”

 

“We’re complimenting you on your accomplishments. You made sure that Aizen walked in line, as he should; following the rules and on top of that you bettered your own life.”

 

Grabbing his ‘secret’ stash of drinks, he suggested in a joking tone, “That sounds as if it’s time to celebrate.”

 

To his surprise Nanao actually seemed to be totally on board with his idea.

 

“Okay...under what influence are you, or should I say; who managed to drug you this weekend?”

 

The slap he received from his vice-captain was something he also deserved.

 

“Just....someone I met.”

 

“Aha, he’s not turning you into an alcoholic is he? Since then I need a word with him.”

 

He was responsible for her, and if she decided to date than he should take the responsibility of a father by making sure she didn’t go off with a creeper, because there was enough of that scum on the lookout for someone as innocent as her.

 

She smiled and told him she needed to go to an important meeting.

 

Oh, fantastic timing...and even though he called out after her, “Nanao!” she simply went on.

 

It was an odd Monday morning indeed.

 

As he was about to turn back to his current document, she yelled out, “It’s a her, by the way, not him.”

 

What a way to drop the bomb, he hadn’t expected that at all... Not that it mattered in any way, shape or form, not to Shunsui at least, since his preferences went out to his own sex as well.

 

-0-

 

“I have never seen more prettier drawn kanji.” he had snuck into Sousuke’s classroom, a little while after the youngster’s lesson.

 

The paper in his hand likely belonged to one of the kids, since the kanji strokes looked rather crooked and hastily drawn. Definitely not resembling Sousuke’s neat handwriting.

 

“Only two showed up.”

 

He handed the papers to his lovely, after grabbing the second one with an equally as smudgy kanji character on it. 

 

“Give it some time.”

 

Structure wasn’t present in the Rukon district, so a sense of time was missing to most of those children. They likely never had even heard of a schedule either. The schools that were being build were therefore maybe going to be a great aid to help them getting used to it. Children just outside of the Seireitei borders were allowed entry as well, so the mix of Rukon children and those that were already used to an organisation that required structure, was perhaps the sort of influence they needed.

 

“Was the loudmouthed kid that was on the frontline in his protest, present?”

 

Sousuke gave him a look at the description, in the midst of clearing his blackboard of the characters that were part of the lesson. “Yes.”

 

“Ah there you have it, you already have a voice that will represent you; perfect publicity.”

 

The younger brunet glanced at him. “It’s taking too long, I want a whole morning with full classes.”

 

“Well, then I’m just in time, now that you stil have loads of free time to spare, why don’t you join me this afternoon for an outing in the human world?” he showed two tickets that promised a tour of a winery.

 

His partner immediately stopped his cleanup to take a look. “I’m not working for you today?”

 

“Obviously not, there’s not much left to do anyways.”

 

Sousuke’s doubtful look had him smiling his most encouraging grin in the hope that it would convince his partner.“Chateau Amai? I bet you it’s wine imported from France?”

 

“Sweet wine.”

 

Not exactly his favourite, wine in general actually, but since Sousuke enjoyed a glass of the fine taste, he chose that sort of trip in order to get some good grades from the budding calligraphy teacher.

 

“In that case, what are we waiting for mhh?”

 

They didn’t leave for the human world immediately, a change of clothes and putting on their gigai was still on the program first.

 

“How lovely of Kisuke to provide a gigai for me as well.”

 

The road to the castle was flanked by sakura trees with two parks on either sides of the ground that lead to the bridge of the fortified enclosure. He hadn’t thought of anything to do besides their trip to the winery, but after seeing dozens of picnickers in the fields, he had an idea of what they could do afterwards.

 

“Kindly don’t use my endearment for you in connection to Kisuke.”

 

Sousuke’s eyes practically sparkled with mischief. “A little jealous?”

 

He stopped in the middle of the stone pavement to address the little troublemaker that arouse in Sousuke. “I think I’m entitled now to be a little annoyed at your fascination with him now.” Kisuke was never any competition, simply because the blond had no interest in Sousuke. And even though the thought of the blond might still linger in the younger brunet’s head, Shunsui was sure of the fact that Sousuke was just trying to get a rise out of him.

 

Which was nearly impossible, at least when concerning Sousuke’s ex.

 

The smile on the other’s face told him everything he needed to know and also simultaneously confirmed that it was all done to tease him. “Fascination?”

 

But he looked around, anywhere else so as not to acknowledge that smirk. The background of thepeople lunching on the green grass was a view that was a lot more enjoyable anyways. Definitely something they were going to do as well. “Although I can’t imagine why, besides being perhaps a little bit more intelligent than me.” At Sousuke’s snort, Shunsui corrected himself, “okay, a lot more intelligent...bordering on crazy genius. There really is nothing that Kisuke has, that I don’t have, right?”

 

“How about modesty?” Sousuke suggested while slowly slinking into his vision again to look him in the eye.

 

“Aha? I’m not humble enough for you?” This time he did face the other head on and it earned him an honest reply of, “You are fine just the way you are.”

 

He made a motion of swooping in to steal a kiss from his companion, but just before their lips touched he told Sousuke, “I know,” gave a teasing wink for good measure, before backing off with the speed of a flash step and going on his way as he heard his partner grumbling after him.

 

Two could play at that game after all.

 

The castle itself was old, probably dating from the troublesome years of war in the real world, since the structure of the building was clearly Japanese and lacked any influence from outside, even though it was a brewery that imported wine from the French now.

A canal surrounded the building, hence why they needed to pass over a bridge to get to the entrance. Which only enhanced the view of the surroundings, especially the park with the sakura trees, it simply served as **the** spot for the perfect lunchdate.

 

It had been a perfect idea for him to take Sousuke here, no doubt he was scoring some points.

 

And he could see that was the case when he minutely glanced at his companion’s fascination of their environment.

 

From the inside the heavy influences of the country where the wine was imported from was obvious. The decor was for a lack of better word; chic. Huge paintings of landscapes hung on the wall, red antique carpets covered the wooden flooring and chandeliers that made the room give out a warm but dark effect instead of completely lighting up the place. And that was only the reception hall...

 

They had to wait until the rest of their group arrived for the tour to start. Plush love-seats, the kind that foreign royalty had once sat on no doubt, were conveniently placed against the walls to aid them in their waiting time. Or you could go around, viewing the showcases with different sort of wines displayed on it. They were centred in the room, so the guests could already have a preview. 

 

When the group was complete, they were lead into a different room, equally as fancy decorated, but the seating arrangements consisted of regular chairs. They got a history lesson, about the castle and how it came to be a brewery before info on the wine was given. No specific knowhow, but the most obvious of ingredients were being showcased; such as grapes. The whole backstory of how the fruit would eventually turn into their savoury liquid was shown on film.

 

Then it was finally time to get that tour. A tour behind the scenes, since they were allowed to get a peek at the different machines that held their sweet nectar. Which included some wine tasting as well.

 

Too bad it was only that. The art of tasting wine wasn’t as enjoyable as Shunsui had hoped it to be, since he wasn't allowed to drink his whole glass to get a taste. Which was such a bummer in his opinion! 

 

All in all it was a fantastic outing anyways.

 

At the end of their tour, they exited into a small shop that sold their own wine plus all the delicacies that could be enjoyed with the rich flavour of their nectar; cheese, nuts, grapes,... Picnic baskets containing an assortment of alcohol and it’s connecting food betrayed why there were so many people picnicking outside in the field.

 

So that made everything a little easier for Shunsui, he simply bought one of those baskets, so they could enjoy the goodies on their own.

 

The sun did them good, especially Sousuke, since the brunet tanned on the small picnic blanket, enjoying the warm rays after spending a Sunday night and day in his room.

 

He smiled lightly when his companion stretched out completely.

 

“Why are you smiling like that?”

 

“I’m just enjoying our date.”

 

Calling it so official might have been a little too eager of him, he hadn’t referred to it as a date when he had asked Sousuke out. Actually, to be honest he hadn’t even asked the youngster out, he had to basically follow him. 

 

“Unless of course-”

 

The other brunet turned around, so he could put his head on Shunsui’s lap. A grape was not a second later popped into his mouth as Sousuke shushed his concerns, “I like that, it’s a date.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I hope you liked the beacon of sunshine in this smaller chapter, because are there dark clouds looming ahead?!


	13. Chapter 12

 

By the end of the first week, Sousuke’s calligraphy lessons had a little bit more success; well, all the students that registered for class showed up everyday. Not everyone of the four, but he was at least teaching more than two students a day. 

 

The two kids that regularly missed some classes didn’t give him a reason for their absence. They were rather tight lipped anyways.

 

“Still no knowledge of hiragana?” he questioned as Haruto -the main protester- pondered out loud about the simplified characters underneath the kanji theme of the day.

 

“No, the build of the school has stopped.”

 

He corrected Masaru’s -Haruto’s side kick- hold on the brush while silently contemplating the reason for it. He had to have a talk with Shunsui about that, since a week should have been enough to finish the project. Especially since it was done by official contractors. “Are you sure of that? And do you know why?” 

 

“No...” the kid shrugged and continued mimicking the strokes that were drawn on the blackboard step by step. Even the hiragana characters underneath, although the right stroke order was completely wrong, he couldn’t blame the kids when they had no knowledge of the most basic writing/reading system.

 

It shocked him how antisocial one of the kids in his class seemed, when he wanted to adjust Noboru’s hold on his brush, the child almost sprang back in fear...

 

He shouldn’t be so surprised though, the Rukongai was also known to be the most violent, especially further into the districts, starting from district 80 it was basic anarchy with a moto of fend for yourself.

 

“Well, then, I will have to implement a whole week on hiragana I guess.” he showed Noboru instead with his own brush, so he didn’t need to touch the child in any shape or form.

 

“Uch....Really?” Haruto complained loudly while Masaru immediately joined in on the whines.

 

Enthusiasm and perseverance were seriously lacking in these children as well. Yet, their protest was done with so much exuberance...

 

“Starting next week.” it was Friday, so starting before the weekend on anything wouldn’t be such a smart idea.

 

The elated sighs of, “Luckily.” kind of confirmed that the children had no sense of time whatsoever.

 

Should he implement that in a lesson as well? But if he went on like that, he might as well fill in as a fulltime substitute teacher. Because these children truly started with zero knowledge.

 

But he should thank Shunsui for his words of wisdom, because the older man was right. It wasn’t about how many students he could collect, the most important part of those lessons was that he was making a difference. And that with the help of his passion.

 

The rest of the lesson was focused on the theme he had chosen for that day and it sparked different sort of reaction from his students, as it did everyday. Haruto was mainly the head participant of his class, followed by Masaru, while he didn’t hear anything from the other two students. Despite trying to be as persuasive as possible to engage them in the lessons as well... 

 

And around 12o’clock he completed his lesson and wished them a, “Have a good weekend.”

 

“Weekend? Is there no school tomorrow?” Haruto asked him confusedly.

 

They indeed had no sense of time at all...

 

“No, you’ll get two days off, so all of that knowledge can sink into your minds. On Monday we’ll do a little repeat lesson and then we’ll move on to hiragana.”

 

“Cool.” responded the little redhead while dragging Masaru off into the direction of the borders of the Rukongai.

 

Their little track of coming and going to what was known as a peaceful neighbourhood on the outskirts of the Seireitei had been noticed by the residents. And the glances in his direction when he waved off his students was a guarantee of their future protest against his good deed.

 

Let them try though, he had the Captain Commander and also involuntarily the Soul King at his back.

 

And speaking of Shunsui, he needed to set foot to his ‘second’ job.

 

Shunsui was of course his indirect outlet for anything that still bothered his mind after his lessons. And the older male seemed more or less interested in what he had to say, the fact that Shunsui’s head rested on his fist, silently listening to his ramblings was something at least.

 

“I just don’t understand how they can be so uninformed about everyday happenings.”

 

“Mmhmm.”

 

He kind of missed Shunsui’s neutral sounding murmur entirely. “A change in the Rukongai will never happen if those children stay ignorant of things that are seen as crucial or basic info by the time someone enters the Academy.”

 

“Yeah-”

 

A document that was being handed to him by Shunsui was automatically filed like the rest of the papers he was busy with. It was basically automatically done so while he was trying to get everything off of his chest.

 

“And that brings me to the fact that those schools aren’t build yet, what exactly is the reason that construction has stopped?”

 

Shunsui pointed at the shelf where he had just casually stocked those papers away. “You just filed that reason away.”

 

He tried to make it seem that it was all intentionally done so, while he ignored the crinkle of Shunsui’s visible eye.

 

“Not enough resources?” he read out loud in total disbelief. The Seireitei was never out of resources.

 

“I’m sure you can already imagine where the problem lies.” Shunsui’s head perch went down so he could recline back into his chair and fold his arms behind his head instead.

 

“The nobility?”

 

“I know of your hate regarding them, but not directly this time. The regular Souls of the neighbourhood where the schools are located in, are the cause. They have sent in their own petition,” Shunsui switched his voice into a ridiculous feminine tone, “Can you imagine how dangerous the streets would become if Rukon children strayed around?”

 

“Ah, of course.” So it wasn’t only happening in his own neighbourhood... “But these are children, we are talking about, not savages.”

 

The Captain Commander’s head swayed indecisively. “But if propoganda of certain representatives visit these neighbourhoods to inform them about the potential dangers of these street rats...”

 

“So I was right, the nobility is involved.”

 

Shunsui made an affirmative noise. “Indirectly.”

 

“But you will do something about that, right?” He approached the other’s desk, giving Shunsui a glance that was supposed to nudge him into the direction he would like the other to follow into.

 

“Jushiro will do something about that. I’m just-”

 

“You’re a noble as well!” he practically hit the older male’s desk in emphasis, couldn’t he do something?!

 

“The Kyouraku family hasn't long since belonged to the four great noble clans for quite some time.”

“But as the Captain Commande-”

 

“Sousuke, my voice won’t do any good, despite how much I want to help them as well. You have got to put your faith in Jushiro, don’t worry, children are very much his priority.”

 

He lowered his own voice, since it was no use getting so worked up when his own protest couldn’t even begin to make a change. “They are losing their confidence. I don’t see much of the same sort of fight I saw in Haruto as when he did his protest. They consciously realise that they are being let down again.”

 

“And that’s what I admire in you.” he wanted to move away from the palm that reached for his cheek, but Shunsui’s hold on his wrist kept him plastered to the desk anyways. “The way you stand up for the weak, even though you yourself can’t count on the same sort of support.”

 

“No, I can,” he answered truthfully, “I have you to support me.” because that was undeniably the truth.

 

But now more than ever did he understand that kind of injustice, the difference was that the discrimination against him was kind of normal, since he was still a criminal in their eyes. But these children were judged on their background, before they even had the chance to prove themselves.

 

It was unfair.

 

“They are losing their hope Shunsui, I can see it even in the classroom.”

 

“I don't think they fully understand. Your lessons just need a little more...”

 

He raised a brow, curious about what Shunsui thought lacked in his lessons.

 

“Show them rather than explain it to them. They’re kids at heart, take them out on excursions. Don’t be so fixated on a curriculum that you’re trying to cram into children that haven’t even seen a textbook yet.”

 

“Where should I take them then? The garden that’s located in the noble district where lots of calligraphy practitioners practice their kanji?”

 

It was said as a joke, but somehow Shunsui was completely on board with his idea.

 

“That is something that I could arrange for you. It has a small establishment that serves tea and the walls are decorated with intricate calligraphy.”

 

Perhaps later down the line when he had a full class to take there. Because now that he thought about it, why didn't he introduce them to something that was a little closer to home; for sure the Rukongai had a library as well. A small one, and he shouldn’t hope to find prized books there. But, he could take a look with his students and offer them the chance to go there when their education truly started. Since reading assignments was surely something they would be confronted with in the future.

 

He glanced warily at the motions of Shunsui setting aside his own paperwork -which was for the most part left untouched anyways.- The Captain Commander then walked around his desk to ask him almost in a formal manner, while Shunsui took a hold of his wrist again, “Could you free yourself from busy schedule for two hours, to go on a lunchdate with this old man?”

 

As if they hadn’t been going on lunch dates the entire week...

 

He snatched his wrist back out of the other’s grasp and turned away from Shunsui to browse through his daily tasks. “I doubt I actually have time for you...”

 

Arms immediately circled his middle to reach for that document, and it was just as swiftly thrown on the other’s desk. “Too busy saving the Rukongai now? My my, I’m going to miss your deviant self.”

 

“Perhaps I’m distracting you.”

 

“Mmh?” he felt that murmur right against his neck as Shunsui like always nudged the collar away to remark his neck again.

 

He was actually glad that the collar covered part of those hickeys, they weren’t really noticeable that way. Since Shunsui’s love-bites were quite dark...and painful at times. Worming himself out of that possessive hold, he scolded, “Lunchdate, Shunsui! You didn’t mention a quickie on your desk at all.”

 

Taking a couple of safe steps, on his way to the door, had the Captain Commander stating a playful, “Is it too late to change my mind?”

 

“Yes, I’m hungry, come.” he totally ignored that puppy dog look that Shunsui was trying hard to convince him with.

 

Because if he gave in, he would be constantly plastered to the older man’s bed...or desk...or any place actually. 

 

-0-

 

“You had already made a reservation.” Sousuke remarked in a knowing tone as they were seated at Shunsui’s favourite restaurant. Nothing fancy, it was actually an inn situated on the west borders of the Seireitei.

 

They provided lodging, since the inn was rather popular in the entire capital. And going from one end to another took a while, even with the help of Shunpo.

 

It had a woodsy theme, a fireplace that burned even through the heat of summer, because that cosy atmosphere was exactly what made it so popular. They were seated closest to the burning flames, the best spot in his opinion.

 

Though all he answered Sousuke with was a self satisfied smile. Of course he had already made a reservation; if he wanted the best spot, he needed to claim it before others could.

 

Small windows kept the establishment rather dim lit, so he took the honours of lighting the candle that was centred on the table. The delight in Sousuke’s eyes was nice to see.

 

He was still questioned about his intentions though, “Isn’t it a bit too early for a candle light dinner?”

 

The only thing that was missing was romantic music...he had to admit to that.

 

He shrugged, “We can stay seated until dinner.”

 

“When do I actually ever work for you?!”

 

“You did, the rest of the week at least.” he told his partner in a matter of fact tone.

 

Sousuke shouldn’t worry so much, any employee of his would take his offer of going out with two hands. If only to escape those office hours and training.

 

“Except Monday.”

 

“Yeah, well, Monday...” he told Sousuke as if that was a response in itself.

 

Not to mention this early on in the day, the place was still rather empty. It gave them some privacy.

 

Browsing through the menu on the search for his meal, he eventually deliberately chose food that was classified as a main coarse, specifically in the evening. Paired with some liquor that completed their meal. And that steered Sousuke also unconsciously to choose from that section of the menu, even though it was still lunch-time. 

 

The preparation for their full coarse meals took longer than simple appetizers which had them casually flirting back and forth. They could have been looking into each other’s eyes the entire date for all it was worth; their affection for each other was blossoming after all. In the span of a week, since mentioning what their fleeting romance actually entailed, they had become a lot more comfortable about the way they behaved around each other. He wasn’t afraid anymore to show some more affection, the kind that didn’t always lead to sex, but a validation of the way he cared for Sousuke.

 

But, there was something he did want to talk about...He couldn’t pop the question on an empty stomach at all, so halfway through their meal he questioned innocently, “What do I call you when talking about you to others?”

 

The younger male looked confusedly at him mid bite and when he didn’t elaborate straight away Sousuke stated, “What do you mean? Just call me by my name, you already called me by my first name anyways.”

 

“No, I mean, I can’t call you my boyfriend, not at my age.”

 

Because certain individuals were already guessing correctly about their close relations. And for his own safety, he would like to inform them about what it exactly was. He could trust Jushiro with his fear of falling for Sousuke...he had to. If something happened, then the Seireitei had to be prepared.

 

“Don’t worry, I’m not planning on formally informing all of the Seireitei.”

 

His partner swallowed his bite, before replying, “I wasn’t worried about that.”

 

Sousuke’s expression was lightened up by the illumination of the candle and it somehow enhanced the other’s unguarded emotions. There was no smirk, no mischievous smile that promised him sweet lies, instead Sousuke seemed a little caught of guard.

 

“Is it okay if I call you my lover?”

 

It sounded right; his lovely that could be referred to as his lover to his closest companions.

 

Those dark eyes widened a little, but that surprise was gone in a second. “Lover?”

 

“For all it’s worth, that’s exactly what you are. I guess that’s the only correct term that can be connected to my special feelings for you.”

 

The chains around his heart should be sufficient enough to keep out any deeper emotions, he hoped. For the moment, he was satisfied to be able to call Sousuke his lover.

 

The younger brunet’s gaze minutely swept to the couple that had just gotten their seat and the old age traditions that accompanied it by helping the woman to her seat. He shouldn’t worry about Sousuke expecting such grand gestures if this already seemed to be a step too far.

 

When their eyes connected again, Sousuke inquired, “Does that make us official?”

 

Perhaps the secrecy around Kisuke and Sousuke’s relationship in the past scared the brunet off.

 

“Does that scare you?” So he answered with a question of his own, communication was a must for any relationship. It was important to stay on the same wavelength.

 

“No.”

 

At least that was positive.

 

“Did anyone else ever get the chance of being called your lover?”

 

The roguish smile wasn’t at all meant as a cocky grin, yet...what could he say? He never even allowed them a second time in his bed.

 

“Be grateful that you’re allowed to sleep in my bed, no one's ever slept there for more than one night.”

 

“Oh don’t break the romantic atmosphere now, Shunsui.”

 

“You look truly devastated by that, yes.” the pitiful shove at his elbow felt more playful than anything else. Yet, he decided to turn that amusement back around to concentrate on them again, “A toast to us then.” he held up his glass of sake to do that exactly.

 

-0-

Sousuke’s second week began with more students already; all of his registered ones were now attending his class. Plus three new ones showed up and he was glad to see some variety in his classroom, since he had six boys and three girls.

 

The publicity as Shunsui had called it had worked indeed. Haruto had made sure to tell everyone about him.

 

Which was also the best time to start with hiragana, now that likely everyone had signed up. And at the end of the week, the promised trip to the library was on the agenda. 

 

And to his luck one of the girls, Mei, had already visited a library in the Rukon district, so she was also the one whom lead them there. Much to Haruto’s dislike, since the attention wasn’t completely focused on him anymore.

 

Though if he had to be honest, the two children’s banter was caused by Haruto’s slight crush on the girl. He was teasing her in a very obvious way in the hope of getting attention, especially from her.

 

Kids...

 

The majority of his students hadn’t even opened or held a book, so the idea of visiting the library had been a perfect choice indeed. The small shack, -because that’s what the library reminded Sousuke of- wasn’t located far from the borders of where the Seireitei began, so he didn’t necessarily have to fear keeping an eye on all of his students, plus the surroundings.

 

No lights were on inside of the small wooden...structure, but Mei told him that it was a public place and that nobody had actually ever manned the library. It was just there...for the residents to use. And to be honest, Sousuke shouldn’t bother any of those residents around him, since they were already eyeing him in that certain way again. -Although he had made sure not to dress in one of Shunsui’s most expensive kimono.

 

While entering the shack, he lit a lantern that hung by the doorway. And once he was presented with the view of the interior, he was sure that the books must have mould growing on the covers, since the wooden exterior had many holes. He could see slight rays of sunshine peeking through, but that also meant that rain would seep in just as easy... Not to mention that it would get pretty cold in the winter... 

 

There were no shelves present that reached all the way to the ceiling, -not that the ceiling was that high in the first place- end tables and regular tables instead held an array of different books.

 

Actually the state of the books was something else as well...

 

Covers weren’t only besmeared by who knows what, pages were also torn out and some books even didn't have a cover keeping all of the pages together. The books, in one way or another, threatened to fall apart.

 

Well, that probably meant that he would have to take the kids to another library altogether, so they had a better grasp of holding respect for such objects... Because the only thing he could do here, was explain the concept of a library and how not to behave in such a public place.

 

Meaning he would need Shunsui’s help in getting permission to visit one of the libraries in the Seireitei itself. Since the regular neighbourhoods wouldn’t welcome him, nor his students.

 

He still allowed them their moment of looking through the books, he knew that their attention spans wouldn't be focused on the reading material for too long anyways.

 

But somehow through their little exploration, Sousuke ended up with ten kids. He didn’t know when the kid entered the shack, since he hadn’t heard him coming in at all, but he was suddenly there. Although there was just something...that he couldn’t shake off, about the kid. He seemed familiar, but he didn't know in what way. The boy didn’t talk anyways, so Sousuke was unsuccessful in trying to fish around for info.

 

Not that he minded, on the contrary, the more the merrier. But if he was passing his maximum of ten kids per class, then he would need to split them into groups, so he had enough time to focus on each one and their progress individually.

 

Turns out he had underestimated their interest in the books, since it took a while before he was out of there again. Of course, when it turned into a fight when one of his students used the books as a weapon, it was more than time to call it a lesson.

 

When he finally returned to his former family home, he decided to work on some lesson preparations for next week. Even though his mind was still quite busy with trying to come up with, where he had seen that boy before.

 

Shunsui interrupted his busy thoughts though, when he came in half an hour later with some lunch.

 

“The weekend is about to start-”

 

“And you made some plans no doubt.”

 

He definitely wasn't feeling lonely nowadays, Shunsui and his calligraphy barely left him a moment alone. He never thought that he would desire a few minutes to himself again.

 

“You should know me about now.” his older lover winked.

 

And the most important way Shunsui had influenced him was the way Sousuke liked the company of the Captain Commander. He actually didn’t mind that he was rarely still by himself, he had after all felt so alone without someone to care for him, for so long. 

 

The way he had maybe scared everyone away from him, had him realising that he actually should have been a lot more accepting of his company in the first place. It wasn’t all about him, even though Shunsui delved him under attention most of the time, it didn’t necessarily have to be all about him. 

Because he wanted to return all of those favours, he wanted to do something for Shunsui. And this time, without any ulterior motive behind it, besides pleasing Shunsui.

 

He owed the Captain Commander that at least.

 

But right now, he actually had a different surprise in store for the older man altogether. Taking the egg rol that Shunsui had been eating out of the other’s hand, he threw it back in the takeout-box, before kissing that confused expression away.

 

He deliberately kissed slowly, arousing the other with his kitten licks against the other’s tongue.

 

“Mmh...” his lover murmured after he started toying with Shunsui’s chest-hairs. “Was there something in the takeout?”

 

Instead of engaging in that playful curiosity, he shoved aside all of Shunsui’s questions by connecting their lips again while he swiftly pushed Shunsui’s hakama down.

 

-0-

The next Monday morning Sousuke arrived at his ‘school’, he immediately noticed that someone had tampered with the door’s lock.

 

He instantly crept in, in the dark, without turning on the lights incase the thief was still around. Yet after a search throughout all of the rooms; which were basically three separate places -including the bathroom- he found no one. Not even traces that somebody might have taken anything -not that any valuables were present in his classroom anyways, besides the appliances in the tiny kitchen.

 

What he did find out, was that one of his windows was forced open as well.

 

He could have visited his neighbours to ask if they had seen anything suspicious, but in first instance he thought this to be an act of vandalism. What with all of the ‘protests’ against Rukon kids showing up in decent neighbourhoods.

 

So, any anxiousness that had managed to creep up, completely fled his mind. He was after all ready, batteries charged again after a wonderful weekend with Shunsui, to focus on another week of hiragana.

 

Yet, after his two hours of teaching calligraphy and seeing his students off, his tenth student that randomly entered his group, made the hairs on the back of his neck stand up in an instant.

 

The kid stood at quite a distance from him, but he was still able to see the other’s expression clearly. And the shape of the smile, along with those rotten teeth, had memories coming back to him of his previous time of visiting the Rukon district.

 

He immediately set out to fix his window after that. He didn’t want to bother Shunsui with it. Because the poisoned fish that he had bought was obviously meant for him, and not Shunsui. Meaning, someone had it out for him, it had been no random unlucky bargain in other words, that was for certain now.

 

Though as much as he had wanted to confront him, that student didn’t show up the next day, of course. Like an ominous event that was waiting to happen, he knew that the other’s presence would soon show up again one way or another.

 

Perhaps he just hadn’t anticipated it to be right after class, that same day.

 

All of his students were already out of the door, so as he went back inside, and actually saw nothing due to the lights having been turned off. He already had a presumption that he was going to come face to face with his attacker.

 

But when the lights turned on again, the first thing he noticed was the drawn kanji character for ‘illusion’ on the blackboard.

 

Turning around, he was about to check the rest of the house, when his eyes were covered in an instant. His attacker though was not alone, since his wrists were also immediately forced behind his back by another set of hands.

 

“That’s okay, he’s allowed to see me.”

 

Upon receiving his sight again, he could see that the one who spoke, wasn’t that amateur illusionist at all. In fact, he couldn’t find him, since the whole group of eight men, seemed all just as unrecognisable. The one who took up the role as the leader though -or he guessed by the guy’s stance and the way he acted as spokesperson for everyone.- casually leaned back against his desk.

 

In that span of a couple of seconds that he had been attacked, how could he not have noticed eight men hiding?

“You don’t recognise me?” the man spoke up again.

 

He didn’t seem familiar at all, as far as Sousuke could remember... though he did perhaps resemble any sort of mobb boss. The guy at least, sported the signature looks of one. His black hair -ridiculously spiked up in every direction- and kohl rimmed around his already black eyes for one. And then there was the other’s zanpakuto, located in the sheath at his hakama, although in Sousuke’s opinion it looked very much like a regular katana. Not that he could be entirely certain about that as long as he couldn’t sense any energy from that sword.

 

The guy seemed overall a little too young to be someone that Sousuke had once conned or had had any trouble with. The bulky guys that he had as company though, had their age and scars betraying fragrantly, that they had been in the business for quite a while.

 

“No?” the guy motioned at one of his companions, whom cracked his knuckles in a dramatic fashion, before a fist went flying into Sousuke’s abdomen. “Perhaps a little reminder?” 

 

He doubled over in reflex, it was no reiatsu empowered hit -thankfully- but even so, the forceful hold on his wrists and shoulders kept him grounded to that spot, while he practically bend over in agony.

 

He had trouble even trying to straighten up again, since he was sure that he had tasted blood, maybe even spit out some, though he wasn’t about to check any time soon. The punch had him a little disorientated...

 

Thanks to the ‘help’ he got from the ones who held him, he was forced to straighten up either way.

 

“You should at least be able to recognise them.”

 

The mobb? They looked like the typical muscled crowd that was specifically hired to beat someone up. The kind that Sousuke might have used at some point; scum that did practically anything in exchange for money. 

 

Well, that probably meant that he had made some deal with that boss at some point? And probably ‘forgot’ to hold up his end of the bargain... the other’s appearance had changed drastically then if he dated back from his time as vice-captain. Because he still looked like a young man that just exited the academy.

 

“It’s a long time to hold a grudge.” Sousuke ground out, but another fist made contact with his gut not soon after, and this time he could say that blood had most definitely escaped along with that sucker punch. 

 

Physical blows were never his specialty. So he definitely did not have the chiseled trained body to even take such an impact without any difficulty. 

A hand in his hair suddenly pulled back his head so he was forced to look the leader in the eye. He seemed a couple of centimetres taller as well.

 

“You owe me money, 90,000 to be exact.”

 

What? That seemed highly unlikely, he had always made sure to pay off any debt he had to anyone, even or should he say, especially with business deals such as these.

 

A hand motion by the ‘boss’ and a kick at the back of his knee, made him sink in an instant to the ground. Even when his head was held back by another one of those muscled guys, he was sure a chunk of his hair had been ripped straight out, at least the sudden headache spoke volumes.

 

“I expect that money, same day, next week. If not...” the leader suddenly decided to intimidate him by practically breathing into his face, while he was looming over his kneeling form. “...you can always ask that ex of yours how we coerced him, so you get an idea of what could be awaiting you.”

 

Kisuke? That would be the first he would hear about that. He never had had any trouble in the past, who could even try to get close with Kyouka Suigetsu?

 

“But since you seem to be already quite proficient on your knees...” the one who had clutched his hair, got uncomfortably close with his crotch to him, practically pushing his clothed girth into Sousuke’s face, which had an unpleasant odour altogether. His eyes closed on reflex and he tried not to breath in. Though the hand that practically forced him closer at the back of his head made him gasp for some kind of way to breathe anyways.“The way you service the leader of the Gotei 13 promises money in Inuzuri with those mouth skills.”

 

Had they been spying on him?! And most importantly, for how long?

 

When he was finally allowed to breathe normally again, his attackers backed off completely.

 

But perhaps the part that hit him the hardest in that moment was the statement of, “Your parents would be turning around in their graves in shame if they knew the kind of person their son turned out to be.” 

 

Because he realised that it meant that he was irrevocably responsible for the death of his parents if they had met their end at the hands of his debt collector.

 

How was he going to get out of this?


	14. Chapter 13

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Not beta'd yet

**Chapter 13**

 

Sousuke was at a loss for words for quite a while. He first had to get his bearings under control, because standing up was not a good idea after his stomach had served as a punching bag.

 

He was completely shaken up by their visit, trying in vain to remember if he had indeed a debt or if a forgotten end of a deal had transformed in a huge sum of money that he now owed. 

 

Because he knew for sure that he had purposely been negligent on his end of certain bargains, and on more than one occasion, for the simple fact that he could at that time. Kyouka Suigetsu made him practically invincible. And that had made him cocky, since he could do and please as he wanted when his zanpakuto could disorient anyone’s perception of reality. 

 

But that had come at a price apparently.

 

He hadn’t thought of anyone else’s safety, but his own. Since, judging by the leader’s comments not only Kisuke but his parents had been on the wrong side of that bargain also.

 

So he had not been untouchable in the end. He had just been too self-absorbed to even think about anyone else, besides himself.

 

It was maybe too late to feel any sort of remorse for his parents...but the last thing he had wanted was to be the cause of their death.

 

And Kisuke...had he truly been forced to...

 

No wonder that the blond had forsaken his love for him.

 

His stomach still hurt, but somehow that was the last of his worries. It would turn into a dark bruise and eventually slowly fade away. -how was he going to explain that to Shunsui?- The major dent into his ego was that that majestic feeling of being untouchable, had now been proven a false sense of security. Because apparently, he had been hurt throughout the ones that had been closest to him.

 

Unknowingly nonetheless.

 

Of course his relationship with Kisuke had always been a private affair, but the kind of guys that were out to get him, surely hadn’t respected his privacy. An advantage over him, a low blow in order to get the upper hand.

 

It just surprised him how he never had come to know any of these things. His parents’ disappearance was treated with little to no interest by the Seireitei for the sole fact of them being the father and the mother of the notorious Aizen Sousuke. They were surely no important citizens anymore after his defection. Not to mention that many souls tended to disappear for no apparent reason. And as long as that being bore no Gotei or aristocratic title, there was no need to raise alarm.

 

But Kisuke... Why had the blond remained silent?

 

The only thought that came to mind was, shame. He was ashamed of what had happened and hadn’t wanted to bother Sousuke for fear of being shunned or otherwise. Which he would have never done. If he had known that Kisuke was aware and indirectly, by his fault, involved in his mess, he would have done anything to protect Kisuke as well.

 

Given that that was the cause of them drifting apart...

 

Standing slowly back up, he freshened up at the sink in his kitchen before walking up to the kanji character that had been drawn on the blackboard. Only in his attempts to wipe it off, he came to find out that it couldn’t be simply brushed off.

 

Permanent marker...

 

He got a bucket of water and a sponge to start scrubbing at the character, his actions turned furiously angry when it just simply faded a little, but was still very much visible. He all but ended up desperately rubbing at the board with anything to his availability that would maybe aid in vanishing that symbolism.

 

Whatever the leader had even meant with that.

 

He was so concentrated on his task that he completely missed out on the person entering his classroom. But the second he was touched, he practically turned around in an instant to brandish the useless eraser as a weapon if need be.

 

Shunsui’s reflexes were just a tad bit more honed when able to use his reiatsu freely. “Hey, it’s just me.”

 

He regretted the sound of relief that came out of him in a second. The last thing he needed was to get Shunsui involved...or suspicious.

 

“Kids being kids?”

 

Glancing behind him, over his shoulder at Shunsui’s point of view, half of the kanji of illusion was still plainly visible. Though he completely forgot to answer the Captain Commander, he just couldn’t come up with a decent lie.

 

“Are the brats becoming rebellious already?” came Shunsui’s chuckled inquiry as the eraser and sponge were being taken out of his grasp by the older man.

 

He stepped aside though as Shunsui made a motion to let him pass in order to reach the blackboard. It was what Sousuke needed after all; the chance to compose himself behind Shunsui’s back. He was also suddenly thankful of the support the desk provided him at his lower back, since his legs were still shaking a little, partly from the attack, but also Shunsui’s sudden appearance. Furthermore, he was trying hard not to contemplate on his current problems while also trying to mask any of his emotions.

 

After Shunsui’s attempts turned out to be just as useless, the Captain Commander turned back around to face him.

 

Which made it even harder to pretend like nothing had happened. Shame, he used to be such a good actor...at least with the help of Kyouka Suigetsu.

 

He welcomed Shunsui’s embrace, though he couldn’t quite enjoy the feeling of the other man’s arms when his mind was going haywire with any sort of solution to the situation he was dropped in. Each just as impossible as the next. He had no means to defend himself and stealing from Shunsui wouldn’t go unnoticed by any chance.

 

“Kids will be kids, mhm?”

 

The silent murmur against his temple was no doubt meant as some sort of reassurance.

 

If only...

 

If his kids had been the cause of the permanent kanji, he surely wouldn’t cause such a fit.

 

He leant his forehead against that strong shoulder, skilfully escaping Shunsui’s searching gaze. “Yes.”

 

“Now I don’t want to be the one to whip your ass back into my office, but, it’s two o’clock-”

 

In the midst of Shunsui’s sentence he pushed away from the other’s shoulder and inevitably out of that embrace as well. “So late already?” Although Shunsui’s hand that had encircled his wrist stopped his hasty retreat. 

 

He should have been busy at Shunsui’s division for about two-....one hour, since lunch time did take up at least an hour already most of the time.

 

“That’s okay, when you didn’t show up, I reckoned you might be busy here.”

 

He tried to evade the palm that reached for his cheek, since he didn’t want give away anything...especially now that he couldn’t seem to calm down. And Shunsui only made it worse by holding on to him. His desperate and hasty squirming to also free himself must have been what alerted the other to his strange behaviour.

 

“We can have some lunch first.”

 

And lose even more time spend as the other’s employee? Just when he needed the money? No. Although, Shunsui paid him, even on the days that they had went out on dates instead. But, he didn’t need that special treatment, he didn’t want to take advantage of Shunsui’s tendency to procrastinate.

 

Shunsui already did enough for him.

 

Not to mention, lunch meant sitting opposite each other, staring into each other’s eyes and right now he couldn’t bear to mask his expression. It was too much.

 

He tried to free himself again, but his fervent struggling only made it worse. “I’m not hungry, I’d rather just-”

 

“Is everything alright?”

 

“I need you to stop coddling me!”

 

His little outburst instantly earned him his mobility again. Shunsui immediately let go of him, the worried frown though made Sousuke experience a rush of guilt. Since all that Shunsui wanted to do was probably calm his frantic state of mind.

 

He really should learn to cover up those mistakes now that Kyouka Suigetsu couldn’t help him in any way or form anymore.

 

“Sorry.” while he hated to apologise, Shunsui deserved that much at least.

 

“It’s okay.” the small smile he received was half hearted, it didn’t resemble that roguish happy go lucky grin at all. The Captain Commander then put his hands into his pockets, slouching his stance into a false relaxed state.

 

Not that Sousuke needed to be the judge of body language right now, when he himself currently wasn’t exactly the epitome of perfect pretence.

 

“I’m not giving you enough space perhaps.”

 

No, that was not it at all. He was actually glad that he wasn’t feeling so alone anymore. Solitude or a piece of mind was nice for a couple of hours, but it couldn’t be compared to the feeling of that warm secure embrace that Shunsui provided. Besides, in the evening, he had more than enough time to spend on himself by reading a book while laying in the other’s arms. Sometimes even without conversing with each other, they were comfortable enough so that silence between them wasn’t equal to an awkward atmosphere. Shunsui wasn’t intruding into his personal space at all, in fact, he was welcome to take his mind off of things.

 

He shook his head in response, because he couldn’t really come up with a good enough answer, without making the situation worse.

 

“I understand.” Shunsui calmly placated, while slowly walking his way. “I’m going for some lunch though.” the kiss he received on his cheek only made him feel worse...

 

Since when had he become so bad at pretending? It’s like he couldn’t even put up the effort to lie anymore, at least not to Shunsui.

 

“I’ll be in your division.” he called out at the retreating back of the Captain Commander, and he received a nonchalant wave as a response. 

 

He sighed as the door closed, not in relief, it held a weary quality to it. All that stress had him sitting down for a minute longer, since the pain in his stomach had returned. That was surely going to turn into a bruise...

 

But even alone, he couldn’t seem to get a piece of mind, his troubles caught up on him anyways. The road from and to his work, had him paranoid since he was looking over his shoulders now and then to make sure that he wasn't being followed. And once at work, the mundane task of filing away paperwork had him brooding again.

 

His daily pay check would never earn him enough to repay his debt collector, at least not until he had saved up for a decade or so. He worked part time and his job as secretary wasn’t exactly worth the salary of a captain, not even of a regular soldier...

 

He simply would never be able to collect such an amount in such a short span of time.

 

He could ask Shunsui for a loan, but that would only mean he dug another hole of debt to fill up another. And even if that -hopefully- shook off his debt collector, he would still need a decent excuse to convince Shunsui.

 

Because why in the world would he need money for? Especially that much? Renovations were all taken care off by Shunsui, even the acquisition of his land had all been thanks to Shunsui’s wallet.

 

The sum of money added up, he was already figuratively in a lot of debt to the Captain Commander. He didn’t have to pay him back, not yet at least, because after his sentence the lease would end, and he most likely would get the chance to buy the property back.

 

But he shouldn’t be worrying about that in the first place...he would never allow it to get that far with Shunsui. His freedom was worth a lot more than a single piece of land...

 

He was stuck...with no options....and most importantly no plans to get him out of that misery. How had it come that far?

 

When Shunsui came back from his lunch, Sousuke found it even harder to act as if nothing had happened. While he would normally subtly lean against Shunsui’s desk, respond to the older man’s flirting or teasingly stay out of reach, just to annoy the Captain Commander, even Shunsui remained completely oblivious of his presence, almost professionally so.

 

Which was actually quite a downer on his already somber mood. He wasn’t used to Shunsui’s professionalism. 

 

That idealistic happy bliss between them was already diminishing? That would probably be marked as the fastest vanishment of blinding love...

 

He was overreacting of course, but it did bother him more than it should.

 

The glances and lingering stares of Shunsui were not reminiscent of the passionate longing that he would be presented with at home, instead they were filled with worry. Those thoughtful expressions thrown his way were making him nervous.

 

He was that obvious wasn’t he?...

 

At the end of his workshift, he heard Shunsui cleaning up his desk; he basically shoved everything to the side for tomorrow while languidly stretching to work out the kinks in his shoulders.

 

As a silent encouragement to beg for a massage from him.

 

But, Sousuke wouldn’t be accompanying the Captain Commander home, there was something that he needed to do. Unfortunately, he did need to tell Shunsui, because using the excuse of working late wouldn’t exactly be believable when he was practically done already for twenty minutes.

 

“There’s something that I need to do.” he glanced minutely at Shunsui to gauche his reaction, though all the older man did was shrug and make a grand gesture with his hands.

 

“You’re free to go wherever.”

 

Did Shunsui seriously sound a little bitter? Just because he needed a moment to himself?

 

Deciding to research the other’s expressions better by approaching the other’s desk, he inquired. “I thought I wasn’t allowed to freely wander around?” his tone had a subtle hint of playfulness in order to leer Shunsui back into a happier mood. 

 

But Shunsui just stood up, not even gaining him a single glance back. “I’m not chasing after you, I’m sure that you’re smart enough to stay out of trouble.”

 

“Alright.” he felt a little defeated after that, he did not even gain a kiss. Shunsui simply walked out after that.

 

That was certainly not the reaction he had been hoping for... Yet, could he really blame the other man, when it was he himself that started acting strange in the first place?

 

Granted Shunsui had been more than a little confused at his behaviour.

 

After that he was on his own way to the 12th division, he needed a word with Kisuke over those past events. If only so he could apologise.

 

On his way over, he got the distinct feeling that he was being followed though, and this time it was no mere imagination. He could almost feel a presence shadowing him.

 

When he arrived at the gates, the sun had started to set, giving his surroundings an orange red like hue.

 

The distances between the different divisions were truly noticeable without any reiatsu...

 

And it took a minute longer to get permission to talk with the head of 12th division, simply because he was allowed no entrance. Until Kisuke himself met him at the gate.

 

“Aizen.”

 

“Can I talk to you?...”

 

He saw clear hesitancy in Kisuke’s light coloured eyes, a hesitancy that he was perhaps only now beginning to understand.

 

“...Please?”

 

The blond nodded lightly, although Sousuke was not lead into the 12th division, Kisuke instead walked him to a remote area in the surrounding streets, where they each still stood at quite a distance from each other. 

 

The white lab coat on the other only made him reminisce harder on the Kisuke he had known in the past. A Kisuke that had apparently been tight lipped about some incidents. And Sousuke himself had never known the gist behind those secrets, despite being the fabricator of all the trouble he had brewed.

 

He wasn’t longing for Kisuke suddenly, not like he otherwise would have at the sight of the blond. He instead felt unbearably apologetic of the things that had happened...

 

“In the past... did anyone ever visit you with the purpose of gaining money due to certain activities I had taken a part in?...”

 

Those eyes suddenly hardened to the dark grey colour of steel, along with Kisuke’s expression; the blond’s facial features completely froze.

 

“...Something that I was the blame of, but the responsibility was suddenly thrust upon you.”

 

It was either a difficult subject for Kisuke to talk about, or the deed had indeed caused that rift between them, even though he had never been aware of his partner’s emotions at the time.

 

“Did anyone ever force you to do anything against your will?”

 

Yet it was the same sort of stern look that was kept tight his way.

 

“Why won’t you answer me?” he was becoming desperate in finally knowing the truth, if only so he could let his conscience rest on that mistake...

 

“What are you trying to do now?”

 

What? He wasn’t trying anything at all. He was truly being sincere.

 

Yet, could he really expect Kisuke’s sympathy when all he had done was make the blond’s life difficult, unknowingly so even.

 

“I’m sorry...” it was probably the only thing that was left to be said. “I had never meant for that to happen.”

 

And that was the most honest that he could be at that moment. It was up to Kisuke now. It didn’t matter if Kisuke believed him or not, he had at least tried to make some amends. 

 

He nodded at the blond next as some sort of goodbye before turning around, back to Shunsui’s estate.

 

There was really no point in trying to convince the other. Kisuke would perhaps even doubt him further if he desperately tried to come off as sorry.

 

When he came home, he found Shunsui at his usual spot outside on the deck. It had turned dark already and chilly as well, now that autumn was approaching. 

 

“Isn’t it cold outside?”

 

The burning lantern on the wall outside cast just enough of a glow to make out Shunsui swishing around a glass of liquor.

 

Of course.

 

He sat himself next to his lover, against Shunsui so he could feel a tingle of that warm body heat. It was what he had to make due with at least, since Shunsui hadn’t really budged to move him closer, while normally the older man’s arm would have long since snaked around his waist. 

 

The skies were pitch black, decorated with a dozen of illuminated stars, if their atmosphere hadn’t been so cold, the skies might have possibly been the picture of a romantic evening out on the porch. Like it normally was.

 

He watched Shunsui instead though, trying to gain a reaction, which he succeeded in when Shunsui straight up told him, “Had a talk with Kisuke?”

 

So he definitely had been followed, by Shunsui himself.

 

While he should have been angry at the notion of being spied on by someone that should normally fully trust him, he couldn’t really bring himself to point a finger at Shunsui in this case. He had been acting strange all day after all.

 

“If you followed me, I’m sure you heard the contents of that talk.”

 

Shunsui glanced back at him and his own suspicious glance had the older man caving in. That cold front made way for Shunsui’s usual casual approach.

 

“I didn’t eavesdrop. But I did follow you...”

 

“Because you needed to supervise me?” he hinted in Shunsui’s favour as the Captain Commander chuckled out an, “Exactly.”

 

“Aha.” he shuffled closer, head leaning on that pink kimono that lay draped over the other’s shoulders. “Will you hold me now and stop punishing me for my own distant behaviour.”

 

Because in all honesty, Shunsui had more than enough reasons to continue that attitude against him, given that he still wasn’t fully honest to the other man.

 

An arm circled around his waist, actually a little too low to still be called his waist...but he welcomed Shunsui’s palm on his hip. And while he snuggled into the crook of the other’s shoulder, he could find some peace of mind with the way he had apologised to the blond. It was enough to forget everything for a second and simply enjoy Shunsui’s embrace.

 

“Did you say your goodbye to your love for him?”

 

Did he detect an inkling of jealousy in the other’s tone?

 

“Kind of.” It wasn’t entirely untrue, it had been a closure of some kind after all.

 

His response had him suddenly enveloped in a different kind of embrace. The kiss betrayed Shunsui’s desperation, not for lust, but his own kind of apology perhaps?

 

The cognac he tasted on the other’s tongue told him that Shunsui had broken out the hard liquor, probably on the way to getting himself completely wasted. And all of that because he had visited Kisuke...

 

Perhaps Shunsui wasn’t as easygoing as he had thought the other to be.

 

He tucked away that little tidbit for later, before submitting himself to Shunsui’s ministrations. The other’s breath was hot, something he momentarily thought about as they briefly broke away from each other and the cold weather made their breaths visible. And as he brushed his nose against Shunsui’s neck, the tip of his nose felt just as ice cold against the other’s skin.

 

Reaching into Shunsui’s opened kimono, -that was not as nearly revealing as it had been in the heat of the summer- he caressed curly hairs to warm his palm against that heated source next to him.

 

His cold hands had Shunsui spasming in his embrace lightly, the chuckle that followed by the older man was swallowed up a second later as he sought to reconnect with Shunsui’s lips again. 

 

Shunsui’s other palm dived into his neck, and partially into his hair, how the other remained so warm all over while outside truly surprised him. Although the alcohol had most likely something to do with it.

 

That warmth subsided in an instant as he felt a cold trickle of liquid going down the front of his kimono.

 

Unlocking himself from the embrace, and Shunsui’s chuckles made him aware of the glass in Shunsui’s hand, that was now as good as empty. The other had held that while simultaneously reaching out for him? Smart, the liquor had of course slipped down his kimono in the process. Couldn’t he have separated from his precious booze for just a minute?

 

“There goes your drink.” he tried to brush it off, since that certainly made him feel the difference in temperatures. But all it did was make the material soak it up even more, and it smelled heavily of cognac.

 

“Mhm... you never smelled better.”

 

He pushed lightly against Shunsui’s head as the Captain Commander found nothing better to do than to stick his head in his chest, seemingly trying to get drunk on his spilled drink.

 

“And you’re drunk.” It was by no means meant as an accusation, because he could most certainly appreciate that relaxed and tense free atmosphere between them again.

 

“I’m not drunk.” Shunsui murmured against his lips next, before pressing closer to deepen their kiss once again.

 

“Perhaps it’s better to take this inside?” he tried in between kisses. Although it was hard to break away from Shunsui’s hungry mouth when being physically guided back to the other’s lips by that strong hand that had settled once again into his hair and neck. 

He gasped as he ended up on his back on the deck as Shunsui swooped him under with a tug on his thighs. The dark rumble of, “I’ll keep you warm.” against his suddenly naked skin in the open air managed to shush all of his protests at once.

 

-0-

 

Yet, once back on the futon in Shunsui’s room, Sousuke silently crawled out of a peacefully sleeping Captain Commander’s embrace.

 

He couldn’t find his sleep at all, he was tossing and turning, threatening to wake up his partner. And it was now that he at least had a chance to compose himself a bit.

 

Shunsui should have fucked him into near oblivion so he wouldn’t have had the strength to worry anymore...

 

Though running away from his problems wouldn’t give him a solution either...

 

Gosh, he was almost in need of a hero himself, just because he had no means to his availably to use as some sort of defence. Like a helpless maiden indeed...

 

Explaining the dark bruise on his stomach had raised Shunsui’s eyebrows already, though the relatively darkened nighttime had the discoloured spot not being as visible. Which he was thankful for, since a scuffle with a seven year old would never result in such an injury, unless it had been a demon child...

 

In the heat of the moment, Shunsui had let it slide though.

 

He straightened up from the futon and stepped down from the heightened platform so he could silently brood against the window at the far end of the room.


End file.
